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REMARKS 


PUBLIC    LIBRARIES 


FROM    "THE    NOBTH   AMERICAN  REVIEW"   FOR   JULY,    1850. 


FOE    PEIVATE    DISTRIBUTION    ONLY. 


CAMBRIDGE : 
PRINTED    BY    BOLLES    AND    HOUGHTON. 

MDCCCL. 


'.  ..' 


•' 


"  But  is  there  to  be  no  end  to  this  purchase  of  books  ?  Oh  yes ;  and  let  us  see 
when  it  is.  When  there  have  been  redeemed  from  time  all  the  valuable  intellectual 
bequests  of  former  ages ;  when  there  has  been  garnered  up  all  that  preceding 
generations  had  amassed  as  a  sacred  and  imperishable  inheritance,  there  will  then, 
'remain  no  duty  but  to  collect  what  the  age  produces.  And  when  literary  ambition 
shall  cease  to  be  excited ;  when  genius  is  no  longer  bestowed  by  the  munificence 
of  Heaven;  when  industry  no  longer  collects  new  facts  respecting  man  and 
nature  ;  when  the  forming  hand  ceases  to  reproduce ;  when  the  streams  of  human 
intellect  no  longer  flow ;  when  the  springs  of  intelligence  and  thought  are  all 
dried  up ;  when  the  regions  of  science  and  of  mind  sleep  in  universal  lethargy,  — 
then  will  it  be  time  to  give  over  buying  books." 


PREFATORY  NOTE. 


IT  has  been  suggested,  that  the  views  presented  in 
the  following  "  Remarks  "  are  liable  to  be  misappre- 
hended; that  they  may  leave  on  the  mind  of  the 
reader  the  impression,  that  the  deficiencies  of  this 
country  in  respect  to  large  Libraries  are  therein  exag- 
gerated ;  or,  at  any  rate,  that  it  was  unnecessary  thus 
to  expose  them. 

Let  any  one,  however,  investigate  the  actual  pres- 
ent state  of  our  larger  Libraries,  and  he  will  soon  be 
satisfied  that  the  deficiencies  are  even  greater,  much 
greater,  than  they  are  here  represented  to  be.  Un- 
doubtedly the  fuller  returns  which  are  in  a  short 
time  to  be  published  respecting  the  statistics  of 
Libraries  in  the  United  States,  will  show  a  much 
larger  aggregate  number  of  volumes  in  the  country 
than  has  heretofore  been  given.  Still  the  numerous 
small  Libraries  whose  united  contents  go  to  make  up 
this  aggregate,  are,  in  most  cases,  composed  of  nearly 
the  same  books ;  so  that  all  that  has  been  said  of  the 
difficulty  of  thoroughly  pursuing  any  scientific  or  lit- 
erary research  will  remain  true. 

The  second  part  of  the  objection  may  be  removed 


4 

by  considering  that  the  article  was  written  in  full 
faith  that,  to  have  these  deficiencies  supplied,  it  was 
only  necessary  to  point  them  out 

The  allusion  to  the  cost  of  the  buildings  of  the 
Girard  College,  the  Boston  Athenaeum,  and  the  Libra- 
ry of  Harvard  College,  is  more  likely  to  be  misunder- 
stood. Perhaps  they  ought  not  to  have  been  placed 
in  the  same  category.  For  the  first  named, —  a  col- 
lege for  poor  orphans  —  no  satisfactory  explanation  or 
apology  can  be  offered.  With  respect  to  Gore  Hall 
and  to  the  Athenaeum,  the  case  is  quite  different.  It 
was  believed,  and  with  much  reason,  that  if  splendid 
receptacles  for  literary  treasures  were  provided,  pri- 
vate munificence  would  ere  long  fill  them  with  the 
needed  books.  It  is  earnestly  hoped  that  this  may 
yet  be  so.  Here  are  caskets  fit  to  contain  the  richest 
gems;  shrines,  in  which  should  be  deposited  the 
choicest  relics  of  ancient  and  modern  literature  and 
science.  May  the  time  soon  come,  when  the  cost- 
liness and  beauty  of  these  edifices  will  not  exhibit 
so  strong  a  contrast  with  the  poverty  of  their  con- 
tents. 

G.  L. 

DANA  HILL,  CAMBRIDGE, 
July,  1850. 


PUBLIC   LIBHAKIES. 


1.  Report  from  the  select  Committee  on  Public  Libraries ; 
together  with  the  Proceedings  of  the  Committee,  Minutes 
of  Evidence,  and  Appendix.    Ordered  by  the  House  of 
Commons    to   be    printed,    23    July,    1849.      London. 
Folio,     pp.  xx.  and  317. 

2.  Report  of  the  Commissioners  appointed  to  inquire  into 
the  Constitution  and  Government  of  the  British  Museum  ; 
with  Minutes  of  Evidence.     Presented  to  both  Houses  of 
Parliament,  by   Command  of  Her  Majesty.      London  : 
Printed  by  William  Clowes  and  Sons.     1850.     Folio, 
pp.  xliv.  and  823. 

3.  Annual  Report  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Astor  Library  of 
the  City  of  New  York.     Made  to  the  Legislature,  Janu- 
ary 29,  1850.     Albany  :    Weed,  Parsons,  and  Co.,  Pub- 
lic Printers.   1850.     [Assembly  Document,  No.  43,  pp. 
30.] 

4.  Reports,  etc.,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  exhibiting 
its  Plans,    Operations,   and  Financial  Condition  up  to 
January  1,  1849.     From  the  third  annual  Report  of  the 
Board  of  Regents.    Presented  to  Congress,  February  1 9th, 
1849.   Washington:  Thomas   Ritchie,   Printer.      1849. 
8vo.  pp.  72. 

ALLUDING  to  our  attainments  in  literature  and  science  in 
comparison  with  those  of  other  nations  of  our  age,  Mr.  Justice 
Story,  in  an  address  before  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society  at 
Cambridge,  a  few  years  since,  made  the  following  remarks :  — 
"  We  have  no  reason  to  blush  for  what  we  have  been  or  what 
we  are.  But  we  shall  have  much  to  blush  for,  if,  when  the 
highest  attainments  of  the  human  intellect  are  within  our 
reach,  we  surrender  ourselves  to  an  obstinate  indifference  or 


6 

shallow  mediocrity  ;  if,  in  our  literary  career,  we  are  content 
to  rank  behind  the  meanest  principality  of  Europe.  Let  us 
not  waste  our  time  in  seeking  for  apologies  for  our  ignorance 
where  it  exists,  or  in  framing  excuses  to  conceal  it.  Let  our 
short  reply  to  all  such  suggestions  be,  like  the  answer  of  a  noble 
youth  on  another  occasion,  that  we  know  the  fact,  and  are 
every  day  getting  the  better  of  it." 

The  orator  then  ventures  to  mention  one  of  our  greatest 
national  deficiences,  and  says,  —  "There  is  not,  perhaps,  a 
single  library  in  America,  sufficiently  copious  to  have  enabled 
Gibbon  to  have  verified  the  authorities  for  his  immortal  His- 
tory of  the  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire."  * 

Notwithstanding  his  prefatory  remarks,  and  the  qualifying 
terms  in  which  he  stated  this  fact,  it  was  received  with  sur- 
prise, and  some  doubt,  by  a  large  portion  of  his  audience. 
Nearly  all  his  hearers  thought  it  a  bold  statement  to  be  made 
so  near  to  the  vast  bibliographical  treasures  of  Harvard  College. 
It  was  even  hinted  that  the  orator  had  probably  been  seeking 
in  vain  for  some  ancient  black-letter  law  book  from  the  press 
of  Richard  Pynson,  and  had  drawn  his  general  conclusions 
from  his  particular  disappointment.  But  had  the  distin- 
guished jurist  been  as  learned  in  bibliothecal  as  in  legal 
lore,  had  he  and  his  audience  been  as  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  actual  condition  and  wants  of  our  public  libraries,  as 
they  were,  in  general,  impressed  with  the  importance  of  stren- 
uous efforts  on  the  part  of  men  of  literature  and  science,  to 
raise  our  relative  rank  with  other  nations  in  these  respects,  he 
could  have  presented  a  much  stronger  case  without  danger  of 
exciting  surprise  or  doubt.  It  would  not  have  been  necessary 
to  have  cited  so  distinguished  an  author  as  Gibbon,  nor  so 
elaborate  and  learned  a  work  as  his  matchless  history.  Our 
own  neighborhood  would  furnish  many  instances,  where  re- 
search has  been  abandoned  in  despair  on  account  of  the  mea- 
greness  of  materials  for  pursuing  the  necessary  investigations. 
We  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  that  not  one,  nor  all  the  libraries 
in  this  *country  combined,  would  furnish  sufficient  materials 

*  Fisher  Ames  had,  many  years  before,  made  a  similar  statement ;  and  we 
have  it  from  a  high  source,  that  John  Quincy  Adams  attempted  to  supply  the 
deficiency,  by  importing  at  his  own  expense  every  work  to  which  Gibbon  refers  in 
his  History.  In  the  collection  of  books  left  by  Mr.  Adams,  and  now  at  the  family 
mansion  in  Quincy,  there  are  probably  more  of  these  authorities  than  in  any 
other  library  in  the  country. 


for  writing  a  complete  history  of  that  little  book  of  three  or 
four  score  diminutive  pages,  which  has  had  such  a  mighty 
influence  in  moulding  the  character  and  creed  of  former 
generations,  "The  New  England  Primer."* 

With  respect  to  Gibbon,  it  might  have  been  said  with  equal 
truth,  that  probably  not  all  the  libraries  in  Great  Britain,  and 
perhaps  no  single  library  in  the  world,  was  sufficiently  copious 
to  have  supplied  him  with  the  authorities  for  his  work.  Ac- 
cording to  his  own  published  statement,  he  was  obliged  to 
collect  and  purchase  for  his  own  use  the  extensive  and  valu- 
able works  which  form  the  basis  of  his  history.  So,  in  our 
own  country,  such  writers  as  Irving,  Sparks,  Prescott,  and 
Bancroft  have  been  obliged  to  visit  Europe  to  collect  mate- 
rials for  their  histories,  or  at  a  great  expense  to  import  the 
works  which  ought  to  have  been  freely  furnished  to  them 
from  our  public  libraries.  It  was  only  by  visiting  Spain,  and 
collecting,  at  his  own  cost,  one  of  the  best  libraries  of  Spanish 
literature  anywhere  to  be  found,  that  Mr.  Ticknor  was 
enabled  to  avail  himself  of  the  materials  necessary  for  writing 
his  invaluable  work.  If  either  of  the  above-named  distin- 
guished authors  had  been  less  favored  in  their  means,  the 
world  would  not  have  enjoyed  the  results  of  their  studies.  Is 
it  strange,  then,  that  our  country  has  not  produced  a  larger 
number  of  eminent  and  thorough  scholars?  The  pursuits  of 
literature  are,  at  present,  too  expensive  for  any  but  fortune's 
favorites  to  engage  in  them  with  success. 

*  This  assertion  must  not  be  regarded  by  the  reader  as  a  random  or  reckless 
one,  intended  more  for  effect  than  for  expressing  an  ascertained  fact ;  for  such  is 
not  the  case.  Not  many  months  since,  a  series  of  articles  on  the  History  of  the 
New  England  Primer  appeared  in  the  "  Cambridge  Chronicle."  The  writer  gave 
some  account  of  the  authors  of  the  various  pieces  in  that  little  book,  and  of  the 
persons  named  therein.  In  speaking  of  John  Rogers,  the  story  of  whose  martyr- 
dom (with  an  affecting  picture  to  match)  occupies  so  prominent  a  place  in  the 
Primer,  it  was  stated  that  he  had  exhibited,  in  the  case  of  Joan  Bocher,  an  equally 
persecuting  spirit  with  that  of  his  papistical  executioners.  The  origin  of  this  accu- 
sation was  traced  back  to  Fox,  who  was  a  contemporary  of  Rogers.  The  account  in 
"  The  Cambridge  Chronicle"  was  given  from  "Crosby's  History  of  the  Baptists." 
The  writer  of  that  work  copies  from  Peirce,  who,  in  his  History  of  the  Dissenters, 
says  that  he  had  it  from  the  first  Latin  edition  of  "  Fox's  Book  of  Martyrs,"  and 
that  it  was  suppressed  in  the  following  editions,  out  of  regard  to  the  memory  of 
Rogers.  Some  of  the  numerous  persons  in  this  country  bearing  the  name  of  Ro- 
gers, and  claiming  to  be  lineal  descendants  of  him  of  Primer  memory,  were  un- 
willing to  receive  at  second-hand  ^statement  which,  if  true,  leaves  a  deep  stain  on 
the  character  of  their  ancestor.  Diligent  inquiry  was  made  for  the  original  work  ; 
but  no  copy  of  the  first  edition  of  Fox's  Book  of  Martyrs  could  be  found  in  any 
library  in  the  country.  Several  cases  of  a  similar  kind  occurred  when  investigating 
the  history  of  the  Primer  ;  and  other  important  matters  connected  with  that  little 
book  and  its  authors  were  left  in  doubt,  on  account  of  the  impossibility  of  obtaining 
the  requisite  works  to  verify  or  correct  them. 


8 

It  would  be  difficult  to  name  a  subject  of  equal  importance 
that  has  heretofore  received  so  little  attention,  or  a  want 
equally  pressing,  which  has  been  so  inadequately  supplied,  as 
that  of  large  and  well  selected  public  libraries.  We  would 
not  be  understood  as  intimating  that  there  has  been  a  designed 
neglect  or  unwillingness  to  furnish  the  means  for  the  highest 
intellectual  culture,  and  for  the  most  thorough  literary  and 
scientific  investigations.  On  the  contrary,  we  have  the  fullest 
faith  that  it  is  only  necessary  to  have  the  deficiencies  in  these 
respects  made  known,  in  order  that  they  may  be  soon  supplied. 
Indeed,  the  paramount  importance  of  large,  well  furnished 
libraries,  easily  accessible  to  students  and  others,  has  never 
been  denied.  The  reason  why  we  have  to  lament  their  pre- 
sent great  deficiencies  is  the  mistaken  notion  as  to  what  may 
properly  be  said  to  constitute  a  satisfactory  collection. 

We  suppose  that  the  opinion  pretty  extensively  prevails, 
that  as  far  as  this  country  and  Europe  are  concerned,  the  pre- 
sent condition  of  these  institutions  may  be  regarded  with  un- 
alloyed satisfaction.  We  often  hear  the  libraries  of  Harvard, 
Yale,  and  Brown  universities,  with  those  in  the  cities  of  Bos- 
ton, New  York,  and  Philadelphia,  alluded  to  in  terms  which 
show  very  evidently,  that,  in  the  estimation  of  the  public,  there 
is  no  cause  for  complaint  on  account  of  their  present  condition. 
According  to  the  common  belief,  these  large  collections  con- 
tain nearly  every  work  worth  preserving  in  the  various  depart- 
ments of  literature  and  science.  If  a  scholar  desires  thoroughly 
to  investigate  any  subject,  he  has  only  to  resort  thither  to  find 
all  that  has  ever  been  published  by  his  predecessors  in  the 
same  departments,  and  all  that  is  necessary  to  aid  him  in  his 
pursuits.  Certainly,  these  large  collections  —  from  30,000 
to  60,000  volumes  —  must  contain  all  that  any  scholar  can 
ever  need.  But  if,  perchance,  a  case  should  arise  in  which 
a  rare  work  is  needed  for  reference,  and  is  not  to  be  found  in 
the  country,  a  visit  to  the  British  Museum,  where  there  are 
nearly  half  a  million  of  volumes,  or  to  the  national  library  at 
Paris,  with  twice  that  number,  will  supply  all  deficiencies. 

A  single  fact,  selected  from  a  multitude  of  a  similar  charac- 
ter which  have  come  to  our  knowledge,  will  be  sufficient  to 
show  the  error  of  such  a  conclusion.  Within  a  few  months, 
an  English  writer  has  published  the  following  statement  in 
the  London  Athenaeum :  —  "In  the  progress  of  a  late  histori- 


cal  inquiry,  I  covered  a  sheet  of  paper  with  notes  and  ques- 
tions, that  could  be  solved  only  by  reference  to  contemporary 
tracts  and  pamphlets.  On  visiting  the  Museum,  it  was  found 
that  not  jive  per  cent,  of  what  I  wanted  were  contained  in  that 
great  national  collection."  Now,  it  must  be  acknowledged, 
that  the  Library  of  the  British  Museum  contains  one  of  the 
most  complete  collections  of  historical  works  to  be  found  in 
any  country  ;  and  it  is  known  to  be  particularly  rich  in  books 
and  pamphlets  relative  to  the  history  of  Great  Britain.  Yet 
the  writer  whom  we  have  quoted  finds  cause  to  regret  its  great 
incompleteness  in  that  department.  We  presume  a  similar, 
perhaps  a  greater,  deficiency  would  be  found  in  nearly  every 
other  department.  Nor  is  this  the  fault  of  those  to  whom  the 
duty  of  purchasing  the  books  is  intrusted.  Considering  the 
multiplicity  and  variety  of  objects  that  claim  their  attention, 
and  the  inadequate  means  afforded  to  them,  it  is  wonderful 
that  so  much  has  been  accomplished  in  supplying  the  wants 
of  different  classes  of  readers  and  scholars. 

The  popular  error  that  only  the  best  books  and  on  the  most 
important  subjects  are  worth  preserving,  has  done  much  to 
retard  the  establishment  and  growth  of  large  libraries  in  this 
country.  When  a  person,  unaccustomed  to  the  use  or  sight 
of  many  books,  enters  for  the  first  time  a  large  library,  he  is 
very  likely  to  utter  an  exclamation  of  astonishment  at  the 
vastness  —  the  unnecessary  extent  —  of  the  collection,  and  to 
make  the  wondering  inquiry  whether  anybody  is  expected  to 
read  all  the  volumes  ;  as  if  all  books  that  are  worth  preserv- 
ing are  therefore  to  be  read  through  !  It  has  been  well  said, 
that  a  National  Library  should  contain  all  those  works  which 
are  too  costly,  too  voluminous,  or  of  too  little  value  in  the 
common  estimation,  to  be  found  elsewhere,  down  even  to  the 
smallest  tracts.  An  old  almanac  or  a  forgotten  pamphlet  has 
sometimes  enabled  the  historian  to  verify  or  correct  some  im- 
portant point  which  would  otherwise  have  remained  in  dispute. 

The  publication  of  the  various  documents  whose  titles  are 
given  above  affords  the  best  evidence,  that  at  length  the  sub- 
ject is  likely  to  be  treated  in  a  manner  more  nearly  commensu- 
rate with  its  importance.  We  therefore  notice  their  appearance 
with  great  pleasure.  Our  purpose  in  presenting  the  subject 
tOLOur  readers  at  this  time  is  not  so  much  to  offer  remarks  and 
suggestions  of  our  own,  as  to  lay  before  them  some  facts  con- 


10 

cerning  the  libraries  of  Europe  and  America,  derived  princi- 
pally from  the  two  reports  which  stand  first  on  our  list. 

Almost  immediately  on  the  publication  of  these  reports,  a 
sharp  controversy,  which  is  not  likely  soon  to  be  closed,  was 
commenced  in  England  concerning  some  of  the  matters  therein 
discussed.     We  have  no  desire  to  take  part  in  that  contro- 
versy ;  nor  is  it  our  intention  to  enter  upon  a  critical  review  of 
the  reports.     Although  prepared  for  the  specific  purpose  indi- 
cated by  the  titles,  they  contain  much  valuable  information  of 
equal  value  to  us  in  this  country.     Of  this  we  gratefully  avail 
ourselves.     Probably  there  has  never  before  been   brought 
together  so  great  a  mass  of  original  matter  on  the  subject  of 
libraries.     Almost  every  particular  connected  with  the  estab- 
lishment and   proper  management  of  such  institutions  was 
considered  by  the  committees,  and  the  results  of  their  investi- 
gations are  given  at  length  in  the  reports  and  in  the  copious 
minutes  of  evidence  that  accompany  them.      Many  of  the 
statements  which  are  here  published,  on  the  highest  authority, 
were  received,  on  their  publication  in  England,  with  surprise 
and  distrust.     The  reason  of  this  is  obvious.     No  thorough, 
systematic  investigation,  at  all  adequate  to  the  importance  of 
the   subject,   had  ever  before  been  made.     The  people  of 
Great  Britain  were  not  prepared  to  be  told  that,  in  the  matter 
of  public  libraries,  they  ranked  lower  than  any  other  country 
in  Europe.     But  we  think  it  would  create  still  greater  sur- 
prise, in  this  country,  if  a  correct  comparative  view  of  our 
condition  were  published  by  the  side  of  that  of  the  European 
states.     It  would  be  found  that  we  present  to  the  world  the 
singular  anomaly  of  a  nation,  second  to  none  in  respect  to 
the  general  intelligence  of  the  whole  people  and  the  means  of 
a  common  education  —  a  nation  unequalled  as  readers  and 
book-buyers,  and  yet,  in  the  matter  of  libraries  to  which  an 
author  may  resort  thoroughly  to  investigate   any  subject  on 
which  he  may  be  about  to  write,  ranking  far  below  most  of 
the  countries  of  Europe.     We  have  no  cause  to  lament,  but 
on  the  contrary,  occasion  greatly  to  rejoice,  at  our  comparative 
condition,  on  the  whole,  when  placed  beside  that  of  the  most 
favored  of  the  countries  to  which  we  have  alluded.     The 
advantages  for  the  almost  universal  diffusion  of  useful  know- 
ledge among  us,  we  should,  by  no  means,  be  willing  to  ex- 
change for  the  means  of  affording  to  a  privileged  few  the 


11 

opportunities  of  the  highest  culture,  and  the  most  thorough 
historical  or  literary  research.  But  we  are  subjected  to  no 
such  alternative.  Our  people  are  and  will  be  readers.  They 
are  generally  prepared  to  make  a  good  use  of  books  of  a 
higher  order  than  those  offered  to  them  in  so  cheap  and 
attractive  a  form  by  our  enterprising  publishers.  Now,  either 
their  energies  will  be  wasted  in  a  desultory,  unprofitable  course 
of  reading,  by  which  they  will  gain  only  a  superficial  know- 
ledge of  almost  every  conceivable  subject,  or  they  must  be 
furnished  with  the  means,  which  they  are  so  well  prepared  to 
use  to  advantage,  of  going  to  the  bottom  of  whatever  subject 
interests  them,  and,  having  exhausted  the  wisdom  of  past  gene- 
rations, of  adding  to  the  stock  of  general  knowledge  from  the 
results  of  their  own  thoughts  and  experience. 

The  select  committee  appointed  in  March,  1849,  by  the 
British  House  of  Commons  to  report  on  the  best  means  of 
"  extending  the  establishment  of  Libraries  freely  open  to  the 
public,  especially  in  large  towns,  in  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land," consisted  of  fifteen  members,  namely  :  —  Mr.  Ewart, 
Viscount  Ebrington,  Mr.  D'lsraeli,  Sir  Harry  Verney,  Mr. 
Charteris,  Mr.  Bunbury,  Mr.  George  Alexander  Hamilton, 
Mr.  Brotherton,  Mr.  Milnes,  The  Lord  Advocate,  Sir  John 
Walsh,  Mr.  Thicknesse,  Mr.  Mackinnon,  Mr.  Kershaw,  and 
Mr.  Wyld.  The  committee  appear  to  have  entered  upon 
their  labors  with  zeal,  and  to  have  performed  their  duty  with 
thoroughness  and  fidelity.  They  held  numerous  sessions,  and 
examined  a  large  number  of  witnesses.  The  particulars  of 
these  examinations  are  printed  in  full.  The  report  of  the 
committee  occupies  only  twelve  pages,  whilst  the  minutes  of 
evidence,  tables,  &LC.,  fill  over  three  hundred.  The  committee 
appear  to  have  felt,  that  it  was  only  necessary  to  lay  before 
Parliament  and  the  public  the  facts  concerning  the  present 
condition  and  wants  of  the  public  libraries,  in  order  to  ensure 
the  supply  of  all  deficiencies. 

After  presenting  a  brief  view  of  the  libraries  in  the  various 
countries  of  Europe,  with  a  more  particular  account  of  the 
present  condition  of  those  in  Great  Britain,  showing  that  the 
English  are  far  behind  their  continental  neighbors  in  this  re- 
spect, the  Committee  say  :  — 

"  Whatever  may  be  our  disappointment  at  the  rarity  of  Public 
Libraries  in  the  United  Kingdom,  we  feel  satisfaction  in  stating, 


12 

that  the  uniform  current  of  the  evidence  tends  to  prove  the 
increased  qualifications  of  the  people  to  appreciate  and  enjoy 
such  institutions.  Testimony  showing  a  great  improvement  in 
national  habits  and  manners  is  abundantly  given  jn  the  evidence 
taken  by  the  Committee.  That  they  would  be  further  improved 
by  the  establishment  of  Public  Libraries,  it  needs  not  even  the 
high  authority  and  ample  evidence  of  the  witnesses  who  appeared 
before  the  Committee  to  demonstrate."  —  p.  vii. 

Frequent  and  favorable  allusions  are  made  in  the  report 
and  the  minutes  of  evidence  to  the  numerous  popular  libra- 
ries in  this  country  for  district  schools,  factories,  &c.  These, 
we  are  aware,  are  of  the  greatest  value.  But  these  alone 
are  not  sufficient.  The  establishment  of  even  a  hundred 
thousand  small,  village,  or  district-school  libraries,  would  not 
supersede  the  necessity  of  a  certain  number  of  large  and  com- 
prehensive ones.  These  little  collections  are  much  alike, 
each  containing  nearly  the  same  books  as  every  other.  The 
Committee  of  Parliament  appear  to  understand  this. 

"  It  is  evident  that  there  should  be,  in  all  countries,  libraries  of 
two  sorts  :  libraries  of  deposit  and  research  ;  and  libraries  devot- 
ed to  the  general  reading  and  circulation  of  books.  Libraries  of 
deposit  should  contain,  if  possible,  almost  every  book  that  ever 
has  existed.  This  point  is  justly  dwelt  upon  by  many  witnesses, 
and  especially  by  that  learned  person  and  experienced  biblio  phi- 
list,  M.  Libri.  The  most  insignificant  tract,  the  most  trifling 
essay,  a  sermon,  a  newspaper,  or  a  song,  may  afford  an  illustra- 
tion of  manners  or  opinions  elucidatory  of  the  past,  and  throw  a 
faithful,  though  feeble  light,  on  the  pathway  of  the  future  histo- 
rian. In  such  libraries  nothing  should  be  rejected.  Not  but  that 
libraries  of  deposit  and  of  general  reading  may  (as  in  the  case  of 
the  British  Museum)  be  combined.  But  though  such  combina- 
tion is  possible,  and  may  be  desirable,  the  distinction  which  we 
have  drawn  should  never  be  forgotten."  —  p.  ix. 

The  value  of  printed  catalogues  was  fully  considered  by 
the  committee,  and  they  have  expressed  a  decided  opinion 
respecting  their  importance.  As  we  shall  have  occasion  to 
recur  to  this  subject  when  we  come  to  consider  the' report  of 
the  commissioners  on  the  Museum,  we  defer  our  remarks  till 
that  time,  and  pass  at  once  to  a  notice  of  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal witnesses  on  whose  testimony  the  conclusions  of  the 
committee  are  founded. 

The  first,  and  apparently,  in  the  estimation  of  the  commit- 


13 

tee,  the  most  important  witness,  was  Edward  Edwards, 
Esq.,  an  assistant  in  the  department  of  printed  books  in  the 
British  Museum.  The  minutes  of  his  evidence  alone  cover 
between  sixty  and  seventy  of  the  closely  printed  folio  pages 
accompanying  the  report.  Besides  this,  he  has  furnished 
various  statistical  tables,  occupying  fifty  pages,  and  a  series 
of  twelve  maps.  In  one  of  the  maps  it  is  his  purpose  to 
exhibit,  by  various  shades,  the  relative  provision  of  books  in 
public  libraries  in  the  principal  states  of  Europe,  as  compared 
with  their  respective  populations  ;  and  in  the  others,  the  local 
situation  of  the  public  libraries  in  some  of  the  principal  cities. 
The  evidence  of  Mr.  Edwards  has  been  severely  commented 
upon  in  the  London  newspapers  and  elsewhere,  and  some 
inaccuracies  in  his  tables,  of  greater  or  less  magnitude,  have 
been  pointed  out.  We  might,  perhaps,  by  a  particular  exam- 
ination of  every  word  and  figure,  add  something  to  the  list 
of  errata.  But  we  think  that  those  persons  who  are  most 
familiar  with  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  exact  statistical  infor- 
mation will  not  wonder  that  an  error  should  here  and  there  be 
found.  We  have  looked  over  the  evidence  and  the  tables 
with  considerable  care,  and  think  them,  on  the  whole,  highly 
creditable  to  the  author.  It  is  evident,  however,  from  the 
general  tenor  of  his  testimony,  that  Mr.  Edwards  presses 
rather  too  strongly  the  point  respecting  the  condition  of  Eng- 
land compared  with  that  of  the  countries  on  the  continent,  as 
to  the  number  and  accessibility  of  their  public  libraries.  His 
enthusiasm  on  the  subject,  arising  probably  from  a  laudable 
desire  to  have  his  own  country  take  a  higher  rank  in  respect 
to  libraries  than  she  now  holds,  has  led  him,  we  think,  to 
overlook  or  undervalue  some  of  the  advantages  which  she 
already  possesses.  But  his  facts  and  figures  are,  in  the  main,  to 
be  relied  upon  ;  and  we  shall  make  use  of  them  as  sufficiently 
accurate  to  give  our  readers  a  general  view  of  the  present  bibli- 
othecal  condition  of  the  principal  countries  of  Europe.  In  jus- 
tice to  Mr.  Edwards,  we  copy  what  he  says  of  the  difficulty  of 
obtaining  such  statistical  information,  and  of  the  value  to  be 
attached  to  it. 

Ques.  "  Have  you  turned  your  attention  to  a  comparison  of 
the  number  and  extent  of  the  libraries  accessible  to  the  public  in 
the  principal  states  of  Europe  ?  " 

Ans.  "  I  have  turned  my  attention  to  that  subject,  and  have 
2 


14 

formed  several  lists  of  such  libraries,  as  far  as  I  have  been  able 
to  acquire  information  respecting  them." 

Ques.  "  In  what  respects  do  you  think  a  statistical  comparison 
of  this  kind  is  of  value  ?" 

Ans.  "  Of  course,  in  order  to  an  accurate  comparison  of  the 
value  of  different  libraries,  you  ought  to  know  something  of  the 
character  of  the  books  contained  in  them  respectively  ;  but  I  think 
that  even  a  mere  comparison  of  the  numbers  has  some  relative 
value,  especially  if  taken  in  connection  with  their  growth,  so  that 
you  can  compare  what  a  library  was,  in  point  of  extent,  at  one 
period,  with  what  it  has  become  at  a  later  period." 

Ques.  "  Have  you  found  it  easy  to  acquire  accurate  data  for 
such  a  comparison  ?  " 

Ans.  (<  It  is  a  matter  of  very  considerable  difficulty  indeed ; 
there  are  few  subjects  upon  which  looser  and  vaguer  statements 
are  to  be  found,  even  in  statistical  works  of  great  repute,  than 
upon  that  matter.  In  fact,  the  difficulty  is  still  greater  with  respect 
to  English  libraries  than  with  respect  to  foreign ;  very  little 
attention  has  been  bestowed  upon  the  statistics  of  libraries,  either 
home  or  foreign,  in  this  country.  I  think  there  are  but  two  ways 
in  which  any  thing  like  accurate  information  can  be  obtained ; 
namely,  either  by  practical  familiarity  with  the  libraries  them- 
selves, which  it  has  not  been  in  my  power  to  attain  to  any  great 
degree,  or  by  correspondence,  which  latter  I  have  carried  on  to  a 
considerable  extent.  It  is  upon  that  I  base  most  of  the  results  at 
which  I  have  arrived." 

Ques.  "  What  is  the  result  of  your  comparison  between  the 
libraries  of  the  continent  and  those  which  exist  in  this  country  ?" 

Ans.  "  That  nearly  every  European  state  is  in  a  far  higher 
position,  both  as  to  the  number  and  extent  of  libraries  accessible 
to  the  public,  and,  generally,  as  respects  the  accessibility  of  such 
libraries  as  do  exist.  There  are  some  exceptions,  but  speaking 
generally,  in  both  these  respects,  almost  every  European  state  is 
in  a  far  higher  position  than  this  country."  —  p.  2. 

On  Mr.  Edwards's  map  of  Europe,  we  find  the  smaller  Ger- 
man states  to  be  represented  with  the  lightest  lines,  indicating 
the  highest  rank,  and  Great  Britain  with  the  darkest  or  lowest. 
He  states  the  provision  of  books  in  libraries  publicly  accessi- 
ble, as  compared  with  the  population,  to  be  as  follows:  — In 
Saxony,  for  every  100  inhabitants,  there  are  417  books  ;  in 
Denmark,  412;  in  Bavaria,  339;  in  Tuscany,  261;  in 
Prussia,  200;  in  Austria,  167;  in  France,  129;  in  Belgium, 
95 ;  whilst  in  Great  Britain,  there  are  only  53  to  every  100 
inhabitants. 


15 


In  the  following  tables,  the  libraries  containing  less  than 
10,000  volumes  each  (of  which  there  are,  in  France  alone,  at 
least  seventy  or  eighty,)  are  not  taken  into  the  account. 


France  has  107  Public 

Libraries  containing  4,000,000  vols. 
Belgium  has  14  do.         538,000    " 
Prussia       "     44  do.       2,400,000    " 
Austria      «     48  do.       2,400,000    « 


Saxony    has     6  cont'g    554,000  vols. 
Bavaria      "     17  do.       1,267,000    " 
Denmark  "      5  do.          645,000    " 


Tuscany    "       9  do.          41l',000    " 
G.Britain"    33  do.      1,771,493    " 

Taking  the  capital  cities  we  find  the  following  results :  — 


Paris  has  9  Public 

Libraries  containing  1,474,000  vols. 
Brussels  has  2  do.  143,500     " 

Berlin        "     2  do.  530,000     « 

Vienna      "    3  do.  453,000     " 
Milan        "     2  do.  230,000    " 


Dresden      has  4  cont'g  340,500  " 

Munich         "     2  do.        800,000  « 

Copenhagen "    3  do-        557,000  " 

Florence       "    6  do.       318,000  " 

London         «    4  do.       490,500  " 


Arrranging  these  libraries  according  to  their  extent,  they 
would  stand  as  follows  :  — 


Paris  (1)  National  Library, 
Munich,  Royal  Library, 
Petersburg  Imperial  Library, 
London,  British  Museum, 
Copenhagen,  Eoyal  Library, 
Berlin,  Royal  Library, 
Vienna,  Imperial  Library, 
Dresden,  Royal  Library, 
Madrid,  National  Library, 
Wolfenbuttel,  Ducal  Library, 
Stuttgard,  Royal  Library, 
Paris  (2),  Arsenal  Library, 


Vols.  Vols. 

824,000  Milan,  Brera  Library,  170,000 

600,000  Paris  (3),  St.  Genevieve,  150,000 

446,000  Darmstadt,  Grand  Ducal,  150,000 

435,000  Florence,  Magliabecchian,  150,000 

412,000  Naples,  Royal  Library,  150,000 

410,000  Brussels,  Royal  Library,  133,500 

313,000  Rome  (1),  Casanate  Library,  120,000 

300,000  Hague,  Royal  Library,  100,000 

200,000  Paris  (4),  Mazarine  Library,  100,000 

200,000  Rome  (2),  Vatican  Library,  100,000 

187,000  Parma,  Ducal  Library,  100,000 
180,000 


The  chief  University  Libraries  may  be  ranked  in  the  fol- 
lowing order: — 

Vols. 

Gottingen,  University  Lib.,  360,000 

Breslau,  University  Library,  250,000 

Oxford,  Bodleian  Library,  220,000 

Tubingen,  University  Lib.,  200,000 

Munich,  University  Library,  200,000 

Heidelburg,  University  Lib.,  200,000 

Cambridge,  Public  Library,  166,724 

Bologna,  University  Library,  150,000 

Prague,  University  Library,  130,000 


Vols. 

Vienna,  University  Library,  115,000 
Leipsic,  University  Library,  112,000 
Copenhagen,  University  Lib.,  110,000 
Turin,  University  Library,  110,000 
Louvaine  University  Library,  105,000 
Dublin,  Trinity  College  Lib.,  104,239 
Upsal,  University  Library,  100,000 
Erlangen,  University  Library,  100,000 
Edinburgh,  University  Lib.,  90,354 


The  largest  Libraries  in  Great  Britain  are  those  of  the 


1  British  Museum,  London, 

2  Bodleian,  Oxford, 

3  University,  Cambridge, 


Vols.  Vols. 

435,000  4  Advocates,  Edinburgh,          148,000 

220,000  5  Trinity  College,  Dublin,        104,239 
166,724 


Several  pages  are  devoted  by  Mr.  Edwards  to  a  statistical 


16 


view  of  the  public  libraries  in  the  United  States.  But  as  the 
estimated  number  of  volumes  in  each  does  not  appear  in  all 
cases  to  apply  to  the  same  year,  and  as  many  of  these  collec- 
tions have  recently  been  considerably  enlarged,  and  their 
relative  size  changed,  we  cannot  make  use  of  the  tables  which 
he  furnishes,  to  show  the  actual  extent  of  our  libraries  at  the 
present  time.  But  as  it  may  be  a  matter  of  interest  to  our 
readers  to  know  how  we  stand  reported  to  the  British  Parlia- 
ment, we  present  below  Mr.  Edwards's  "  Summary."  In  this 
account,  he  includes  only  those  libraries  which  contain  5000 
volumes  and  upwards,  to  which  the  public,  more  or  less  re- 
strictedly,  have  access.  It  embraces  State  libraries  and  those 
of  Colleges  and  Mercantile  Societies ;  but  does  not  include 
the  numerous  small  school  and  parish  libraries. 


Vols. 

Vols. 

1  Alabama,  has  1  Pub.  Lib.      6,000 

Brought  up,           34, 

454,366 

2  Columbia,  Disk  of,  has  2,      53,000 

12 

New  Jersey,             has  3, 

28,500 

3  Connecticut,               "    6,      81,449 

13 

New  York, 

12, 

157,411 

4  Georgia,                      "    1       13,000 

14 

North  Carolina, 

1, 

10,000 

5  Kentucky,                   c    1 

7,000 

15 

Ohio, 

4, 

30,497 

6  Louisiana,                  "    1 

5,500 

16 

Pennsylvania, 

14, 

159,200 

7  Maine,                       "    3 

38,860 

17 

Rhode  Island, 

3, 

37,185 

8  Maryland,                   "    1 

12,000 

18  South  Carolina, 

2, 

30,000 

9  Massachusetts,          "14 

200,757 

19 

Tennessee, 

2, 

16,000 

10  Missouri,                   "    2 

14,300 

20 

Vermont, 

2, 

16,254 

11  New  Hampshire,       "    2 

22,500 

21 

Virginia,                    "    4, 

41,000 

34,     454,366 

Total    ...    81 

980,413 

In  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  Mr.  Justice  Story's  advice, 
which  we  quoted  at  the  commencement  of  our  article,  it  may 
not  be  amiss  for  us  to  compare  this  aggregate  number  of 
volumes,  which  is  given  as  the  sum  total  of  books  in  our  pub- 
lic libraries,  with  that  of  some  other  country,  state,  or  city. 
We  select  the  capital  city  of  France. 

Estimated  number  m  the  Public  Libraries  of  Paris  is  1,474,000 

"        in  the  U.  S.  980,413 

Excess  in  favor  of  Paris,  493,587 

This  remarkable  fact,  that,  in  the  matter  of  large  libra- 
ries, the  single  city  of  Paris  is  much  better  supplied  than  the 
whole  United  States,  may  well  create  surprise,  but  should  not 
cause  discouragement.  If  we  are  compelled  to  confess,  in 
the  words  of  the  orator  alluded  to  above,  "  that  we  know  the 
fact,"  we  can  with  equal  truth  add  what  he  then  hoped  might 
be  so,  "  we  are  every  day  getting  the  better  of  it."  We  shall 


17 

have  something  more  to  say  presently  about  the  real  condi- 
tion of  the  libraries  in  this  country. 

Mr.  Edwards's  u  summary  "  is  probably  as  nearly  correct  as 
it  could  be  made  from  any  statistics  which  had  then  been  pub- 
lished in  this  country.  It  is  a  fact  not  very  creditable  to  us, 
that  the  most  accurate  account  of  American  libraries  that  has 
ever  appeared,  was  published  several  years  ago  in  Germany, 
and  has  never  been  translated  into  English.  We  are  much 
pleased  to  learn,  however,  that  the  officers  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution  have  taken  measures  for  ascertaining  fully  and 
exactly  the  number  and  size  of  the  public  libraries  in  the 
United  States ;  so  that  we  shall  be  likely  soon  to  have  accu- 
rate statistical  accounts  of  the  highest  value,  prepared  by  the 
accomplished  librarian  of  that  national  institution,  and  pub- 
lished under  the  sanction  of  its  government.  In  his  report 
for  1849,  Professor  Jewett  states  the  number  of  public  libra- 
ries in  the  United  States,  as  far  as  then  ascertained,  to  be  182  ; 
and  the  whole  number  of  volumes  1,294,000.  This  would 
still  leave  this  country  behind  the  single  city  of  Paris.  When 
the  complete  returns  above  alluded  to  are  received  and  pub- 
lished, the  United  States  will  present  a  much  better  appear- 
ance than  heretofore,  though  even  then  obliged  to  acknowledge 
great  deficiencies,  and  to  take  a  lower  rank  with  respect  to 
libraries  than  almost  any  country  in  Europe.  We  have 
already  stated  that  the  relative  rank  of  the  libraries  in  this 
country  has  been  changed  within  a  few  years.  We  give 
below  the  present  number  of  volumes  in  a  few  of  the  largest. 

1  Harvard  College,  including    Vols.  Vols. 
the  Law  and  Divinity  Schools,  72,000  6  Mercantile  Lib.,  New  York,  32,000 

2  Philadelphia  &  LoganianLib.  60,000  7  Georgetown  College,  D.  C.,  25,000 

3  Boston  Athenaum,                  50,000  8  Brown  University,                 24,000 

4  Library  of  Congress,                50,000  9  New  York  State  Library,      24,000 

5  New  York  Society  Library,    32,000  10  Yale  College,                         21,000 

We  are  sorry  to  find  that  the  library  of  Harvard  College, 
which  is  the  oldest,  and,  for  a  long  time,  was  much  the  largest 
and  best,  in  the  country,  is  fast  losing  its  relative  rank.  Had 
the  powerful  appeal  of  President  Quincy  to  the  Legislature  in 
1833  produced  its  proper  effect,  and  had  the  State  of  Mas- 
sachusetts granted  from  her  treasury  the  sum  necessary  to 
erect  a  suitable  library  building,  the  College  would  have  been 
enabled  to  expend  annually  for  the  increase  of  the  library 
the  interest  of  the  cost  of  that  building,  and  we  should  not  be 


18 

obliged  to  deplore  the  many  deficiences  of  the  library.  It  was 
well  said  by  Mr.  Quincy  at  that  time,  — "  The  interest  of 
the  public  in  the  preservation  of  this  library  is  far  greater  than 
the  interest  of  the  seminary  ;  so  much  greater,  that,  in  one 
point  of  view,  it  may  truly  be  said,  that  the  commonwealth  is 
exclusively  interested  in  its  preservation  ;  for  so  far  as  the 
interests  of  the  seminary  are  regarded  as  identical  with  its 
wants  as  an  institution  for  the  instruction  of  youth,  they  are 
within  the  power  of  insurance.  But  the  interests  of  the 
public  are  absolutely  beyond  the  power  of  any  insurance,  and 
if  lost  are  irreparable."  *  Unfortunately  it  sometimes  happens, 
that  State  Legislatures  are  so  constituted  that  the  logic  and 
eloquence  of  such  a  man  as  the  distinguished  President  are 
less  effective  than  the  fulsome  and  extravagant  addresses  of 
Monsieur  Vattemare. 

But  the  aid  which  ought  to  have  been  promptly  granted 
by  the  State  to  the  College  that  she  delights  to  claim  as  her 
own  child,  and  over  which  she  exercises  jurisdiction,  was 
derived  from  the  munificent  bequest  of  a  private  individual. 
Gore  Hall  is  the  monument  of  the  'liberality  of  a  single  bene- 
factor. We  wish  we  could  say  that  the  contents  of  the  library 
were  in  better  keeping  with  the  costly  edifice  in  which  they 
are  deposited.  We  are  not  unmindful  of  the  great  real  and 
comparative  value  of  the  books  that  are  now  to  be  found  in 
the  collection.  By  the  munificence  of  Israel  Thorndike  and 
Samuel  A.  Eliot,  two  entire  and  very  valuable  collections  of 
books  on  American  History  were  bought  and  presented  to  the 
College.  These,  together  with  books  purchased  with  the 
bequest  of  $3,000  by  the  late  Judge  Prescott,  make  the 
library  more  nearly  complete  in  this  than  in  any  other  depart- 
ment. On  the  completion  of  Gore  Hall,  a  liberal  amount 
was  subscribed,  by  which  other  departments  of  the  library 
were  greatly  enriched.  Yet  its  meagreness  in  almost  every 
department,  if  made  known,  would  be  likely  to  create  aston- 
ishment. We  venture  to  point  to  a  single  instance  as  an 
illustration  of  what  we  have  just  said ;  and  we  do  this  not  to 
decry  the  college  library,  which  is,  on  the  whole,  the  best  in 
the  country,  but  to  show  that  the  common  idea,  that  the  library 
is  already  full,  is  far  from  correct.  The  department  of  bibli- 

*  Considerations  relating  to  the  Library  of  Harvard  University,  &c.  — p.  4. 


19 

ograpliy  is  of  the  highest  importance  to  every  well  conducted 
library.  Bibliographical  books  are  to  the  librarian  and  the 
literary  man  what  the  compass  is  to  the  mariner,  or  the  tools 
of  his  trade  to  the  artisan.  A  complete  bibliographical  library 
would  not  of  itself  contain  less  than  20,000  volumes.  We 
have  recently  seen  two  accounts  of  the  number  of  volumes 
that  would  be  immediately  important  at  the  commencement 
of  a  large  library.  The  first  was  prepared  for  the  Smithso- 
nian Institution,  and  consists  of  3000  volumes  ;  and  the  other 
is  "  A  concise  classified  list  of  the  most  important  works 
on  Bibliography,  being  those  selected  in  this  department  for 
the  Astor  Library,"  and  embracing  about  2000  volumes.  A 
few  weeks  since,  we  had  the  curiosity  to  ascertain  from  actual 
count,  how  many  of  the  works  named  in  this  "  concise  list " 
were  in  the  college  library,  and  found  that  not  one  third  of 
those  named  therein  were  now,  or  ever  had  been,  there. 
Other  departments  are  equally  deficient.  We  should  be 
sorry  to  see  the  managers  of  our  public  libraries  under  the 
influence  of  bibliomania.  We  do  not,  however,  consider 
that  their  tendency  lies  in  that  direction.  There  is  not,  to 
our  knowledge,  in  any  public  library  in  New  England,  even  a 
specimen  of  the  printing  of  Guttenberg,  the  inventor  of  the 
art,  nor  of  Caxton  who  first  printed  in  England.  The  only 
specimen  of  printing  from  the  early  New  England  press,  which 
is  contained  in  the  college  library,  is  an  imperfect  copy  of  the 
Bay  Psalm  Book.  Let  us  look  for  one  moment  at  the  other 
end  of  the  list  of  works  which  one  would  naturally  expect  to 
find  in  a  library  like  this.  Considering  the  close  connection 
which  such  men  as  Buckrninster,  Channing,  and  Henry  Ware, 
held  with  the  institution,  we  should  expect  to  find  at  least  one 
copy  of  the  published  life  and  works  of  each  of  these  eminent 
divines.  But  they  are  not  there.  We  will  not  multiply 
instances  of  deficiences.  The  Harvard  College  Library  is, 
notwithstanding  what  we  have  said,  better  provided  with  use- 
ful books  than  any  other  library  in  the  country.  It  has  been 
confidently  asserted,  and  we  believe  with  strict  truth,  that  not 
one  of  the  original  thirteen  States  in  the  Union  possesses  a 
complete  and  perfect  set  of  its  own  printed  documents. 

The  second  witness  examined  by  the  committee  was  M. 
Guizot.  In  the  distinguished  positions  which  he  has  filled  as 
Minister  of  Public  Instruction,  ajid  Prime  Minister  in  France, 


20 

his  attention  has  been  turned  to  the  public  libraries  of  that 
country.  Whilst  in  office,  he  ordered  an  inspection  of  those 
institutions ;  and  the  French  Government  now  has  complete 
and  exact  documents  relative  to  the  number  of  public  libra- 
ries and  the  number  of  books  in  each  library.  These  libra- 
ries are  accessible  to  the  public,  in  every  way,  for  reading, 
and,  to  a  great  extent,  for  borrowing  books.  Some  of  them 
receive  direct  grants  from  the  government  towards  their  sup- 
port. Others,  in  the  provincial  towns,  are  supported  by  muni- 
cipal funds;  to  these,  the  government  distributes  copies  of  costly 
works,  for  the  publication  of  which  it  subscribes  liberally. 

The  subject  of  international  exchanges  of  books,  as  pro- 
posed and  urged  with  so  much  zeal  by  M.  Vattemare,  was 
considered  by  the  committee  of  Parliament.  M.  Guizot, 
from  his  intimate  knowledge  of  the  origin  and  success  of  this 
much  vaunted  system,  was  eminently  qualified  to  perceive  the 
great  advantages,  if  any,  which  have  arisen,  or  would  be 
likely  to  arise,  from  its  general  adoption  by  various  countries. 
His  calm  and  cool  replies  contrast  strongly  with  the  tone  of 
extravagance  with  which  the  matter  has  generally  been 
treated,  especially  in  this  country. 

Ques.  "  Can  you  favor  the  committee  with  any  suggestions  as  to 
the  means  of  facilitating  interchanges  of  books  between  the  public 
libraries  of  different  countries  ?  " 

Ans.  "  I  had  some  conversations  on  that  matter  with  M.  Alexan- 
dre  Vattemare,  who  travelled  in  the  United  States.  He  was  the 
great  undertaker  of  the  interchanges  between  the  different  libra- 
ries ;  nothing  very  practical  or  of  great  extent  occurred  ;  I  tried 
several  different  ways,  but  I  never  came  to  any  important  and 
general  results." 

Ques.  "  Not  even  with  the  United  States  ?  " 

Ans.  "No."— p.  42. 

When  we  call  to  mind  the  fact  that  this  witness  was  greatly 
interested  in  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  libraries,  that  he 
had  given  much  attention  to  their  condition  and  wants,  that 
the  system  of  which  he  speaks  originated  almost  immediately 
under  his  own  eye,  and  that  the  views  and  projects  of  the 
originator  were  well  known  to  him,  we  must  attach  the  high- 
est value  to  his  testimony. 

There  is  much  that,  at  first,  is  quite  attractive  and  plausi- 
ble in  the  system,  as  presented  by  its  founder  and  zealous 


21 

agent.  The  good  feeling  which  it  promises  to  promote 
between  nations  and  individuals,  is  a  pleasant  feature  in  the 
plan,  and  has  won  for  it  many  advocates.  The  earnest  and 
continued  importunity,  with  which  the  matter  has  been  pressed 
upon  the  attention  of  Congress  and  of  the  State  Legislatures 
has  secured  sufficient  attention  to  obtain  approbatory  resolves 
and  liberal  grants  of  money  and  books  to  forward  the  object. 

The  estimated  amount  which  M.  Vattemare  names,  as 
necessary  for  the  support  of  his  agency,  is  $10,250  per  year. 
He  has  already  secured  toward  this  object  the  following  grants  ; 
namely,  from  the  U.  S.  Congress,  $2,000 ;  and  from  the  State 
of  Maine,  $300  ;  New  Hampshire,  $200  ;  Vermont,  $200  ; 
Massachusetts,  $300;  Rhode  Island,  $200;  Connecticut, 
$200;  New  York,  $400;  New  Jersey,  $300;  Delaware, 
$100;  Virginia,  $400;  North  Carolina,  $200  ;  South  Car- 
olina, $300;  Indiana,  $400;  which  gives  him  already 
the  annual  sum  of  $5,500.  M.  Vattemare  very  naturally 
feels  encouraged  by  this  success,  and  indulges  the  confident 
expectation,  that  "  every  State  in  the  Union  will  cheerfully 
contribute  toward  the  support  of  the  central  agency  at  Paris." 
A  still  more  gratifying  circumstance  connected  with  his  labors 
is  thus  mentioned  :  "  It  is,  that  from  the  hour  I,  for  the  second 
time,  set  my  foot  upon  your  shores,  to  this  hour,  though  I  have 
in  that  time  traversed  so  large  a  portion  of  your  country,  and 
visited  so  many  of  your  cities  and  great  towns,  I  have  not  yet 
been  permitted  to  expend  the  first  dollar,  either  for  my 
personal  support  or  my  travelling  expenses."  *  He,  with 
much  reason,  speaks  in  high  terms  of  the  hospitality  and 
generosity  with  which  he  has  been  received  in  this  country. 
We  believe  a  similar  cordiality  of  reception  has  not  awaited 
him  elsewhere.  We  do  not  learn  that  any  other  government, 
not  even  that  of  his  own  native  country,  has  made  any  grant 
toward  the  support  of  his  agency. 

Appeals  were  made  to  our  national  pride  and  patriotism,  as 
well  as  to  our  purse.  A  single  specimen  will  give  a  fair  idea 
of  the  usual  style  of  his  addresses.  Mons.  Vattemare,  in  his 
letter  to  his  Excellency,  Governor  Briggs,  says,f  i(  It  is 
a  lamentable  fact  that  the  United  States  does  not  now 

*  Address  delivered  before  the  Legislature  of  New   Hampshire,  June  28th, 
1849,  page  33. 
t  Massachusetts  Senate  Document,  No.  26,  February,  1845,  page  4. 


22 

occupy  that  rank  in  European  estimation  to  which  her 
social  and  national  position  entitle  her."  After  intimating 
that  the  adoption  of  his  system  of  exchanges  is  all  that  is 
necessary  to  raise  us  in  European  estimation,  he  breaks  out 
in  the  following  strain  of  overpowering  eloquence  :  —  "  The 
veil  of  ignorance  which  shuts  out  your  country  from  view  will 
fall  ;  and  she  will  stand  in  the  eyes  of  Europe  in  her  true 
dignity  and  glory,  illuminated  by  the  blaze  of  intellectual  light 
ever  radiated  from  the  constellation  of  stars  •  that  deck  her 
standard  !  She  will  be  known.  She  needs  but  to  be  known 
to  be  appreciated,  admired,  and  respected." 

Our  reputation  as  a  sharp,  calculating  people  is  not  forgot- 
ten ;  and  he  sets  forth  the  good  bargains  we  may  make  by  ex- 
changes with  our  European  friends  in  the  following  terms :  — 

"  But  your  State  will  reap  a  rich  reward  for  thus  elevating  the 
national  character.  The  treasures  which  have  for  centuries  been 
accumulating  in  the  vast  storehouses  of  European  knowledge, 
the  works  of  her  artists,  inspired  by  the  masterpieces  of  the  world, 
the  laws,  founded  on  the  experience  of  ages,  which  direct  her  vast 
governments,  and  protect  her  immense  population, —  will  be  sent 
you  with  a  profuse  hand,  in  exchange  for  what  will  cost  you  a 
mere  trifle.  Value,  intrinsic  value,  will  not  for  a  moment  be 
taken  into  consideration.  The  Bulletin  des  Lois,  240  volumes, 
has  already  been  sent  for  a  copy  of  the  Revised  Statutes  of  one 
of  your  sister  States;  and  you  may  expect  a  similar  prolific 
return ;  —  a  rattlesnake  or  a  lizard  may  procure  a  copy  of  the 
Venus  de  Medicis,  a  State  map  the  Geological  map  of  France, 
published  at  a  cost  of  five  hundred  francs  per  copy,  and  not  to  be 
purchased.  In  short,  while  the  first-mentioned  object  will  be  glo- 
riously effected,  you  will  be  real  gainers  by  the  exchange,  and 
fill  your  State  Library,  or  the  collection  of  your  University,  with 
what  it  would  cost  immense  sums  to  purchase." 

Such  appeals  were  irresistible.  Appropriations  of  money 
and  books  were  soon  made,  and  have  been  continued  annually. 
We  will  not  say  that  the  works  received  in  exchange  are 
not  all  that  could  be  reasonably  expected  or  desired  ;  nor  that 
the  amount  appropriated,  if  wisely  expended  by  a  committee 
of  our  own  legislature,  would  have  procured  more  books,  and 
those  better  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  persons  who  make 
use  of  the  State  Library.  We  cannot  say,  whether  or  not  our 
rank  as  a  nation  or  state  has  been  raised  as  was  predicted. 
Nor  have  we  heard  whether  the  rattlesnake  was  ever  sent, 


23 

and  the  Venus  de  Medicis  received  in  exchange.  But  one 
thing  we  must  confess ;  namely,  that  our  faith  in  the  feasibil- 
ity of  the  system,  never  very  firm,  has  not  been  strengthened 
by  carefully  considering  the  subject  in  its  various  bearings. 

It  is  not  our  object  to  throw  doubt  on  the  sincerity  and  dis- 
interestedness of  the  zealous  originator  and  promoter  of  the 
system.  The  recent  manifestations  of  distrust  in  certain 
quarters  concerning  his  fidelity  have  not  been  justified  by  any 
specific  proof.  Monsieur  Vattemare  appears  to  be  filled 
with  the  idea,  that  his  system  of  exchanges  will  be  of 
immense  benefit  to  the  nations  which  embrace  it ;  and  by  his 
personal  exertions  he  has  already  accomplished  much.  No 
one  can  look  over  the  printed  list  of  donations  to  the  New 
York  State  Library,  procured  through  his  agency,  without 
feeling  that  that  State,  at  least,  has  good  cause  to  speak  well 
of  his  scheme  and  its  results.  But  our  conviction  is  strong, 
that  the  system  does  not  possess  the  elements  of  permanent  or 
long  continued  vitality.  The  novelty  of  the  thing,  and  the 
lofty  promises  which  it  makes  as  a  promoter  of  good  feeling 
between  nations,  and  of  their  mutual  benefit  in  other  respects, 
when  presented  by  the  ardent  advocate  of  the  system,  are 
likely  to  make  for  it  friends,  and  may  produce  immediate  good 
results.  But  this  zealous  interest  is  not  easily  to  be  trans- 
ferred to  another  agent,  when  M.  Vattemare's  labors  from  any 
cause  shall  cease. 

When  we  notice  the  readiness  of  our  national  and  state  legis- 
latures to  listen  to  the  representations  of  this  foreign  irresponsi- 
ble agent,  and  to  grant  him  privileges  and  appropriations  with 
unwonted  liberality,  our  fears  are  great,  that  the  attention  of 
those  whose  duty  it  is  to  see  that  the  deficiencies  of  our  public 
libraries  are  carefully  attended  to,  will  be  diverted  from  practi- 
cable and  permanent  methods  of  supplying  their  real  wants  by 
this  attractive  though  somewhat  visionary  project. 

His  Excellency  M.  Van  de  Weyer,  Minister  from  Belgium, 
was  next  examined.  He  testified  that  the  public  libraries  in 
his  country  were  numerous,  large,  and  easily  accessible  to  all 
who  desire  to  make  use  of  them.  He  attributes  the  best  results 
to  the  literary  character  of  his  country  from  this  privilege  of 
free  access  to  their  large  collections  of  books.  He  thinks  the 
people  are  better  prepared  than  is  generally  supposed  to 
appreciate  works  of  a  high  character.  He  seems  to  think  it 


24 

unwise  to  attempt  to  popularize  science  and  literature  by 
printing  inferior  books,  written  expressly  for  common  and 
uneducated  people.  The  government  subscribe  for  a  num- 
ber of  copies  of  nearly  every  valuable  work  that  is  published, 
by  which  means  they  encourage  the  progress  of  literature,  and 
are  enabled  to  enrich  many  of  the  libraries. 

"  The  government  have  sometimes,  within  a  space  of  twenty 
years,  spent  some  ,£10,000  or  .£12,000  in  favor  of  libraries.  I 
take  this  opportunity  of  stating  also,  that  though  the  Chamber  only 
votes  a  grant  of  65,000  or  70,000  francs  for  the  Royal  Public 
Library  of  Brussels,  whenever  there  is  some  large  sale  going  on, 
there  is  always  a  special  grant  made  to  the  library.  Lately  one 
of  the  most  curious  private  libraries  had  been  advertised  for  sale  ; 
a  catalogue  had  been  printed  in  six  volumes ;  the  government 
immediately  came  forward,  bought  the  whole  of  the  library  for 
£13,000  or  £14,000,  and  made  it  an  addition  to  the  Royal  Library 
in  Brussels ;  they  did  the  same  thing  at  Ghent ;  I  believe  the 
library  that  they  bought  at  Ghent  consisted  of  about  20,000  vol- 
umes, and  in  Brussels  about  60,000  or  70,000  volumes."  —  p.  52. 

Passing  by  several  witnesses,  whose  evidence  we  should 
be  glad  to  notice  did  our  limits  allow  us  to  do  so,  we  come  to 
George  Dawson,  Esq.,  who,  as  a  lecturer,  has  had  opportu- 
nities of  becoming  acquainted  with  the  condition,  the  feelings, 
and  the  wants  of  the  working  classes  in  the  manufacturing 
towns,  both  in  England  and  Scotland.  He  testifies,  that 
libraries  to  some  extent  have  already  been  formed  in  those 
places,  and  that  there  is  a  very  general  desire  among  the 
working  people  to  avail  themselves  of  more  and  better  books. 
They  can  appreciate  the  best  authors.  Political  and  histori- 
cal subjects  interest  them  most,  but  the  higher  class  of  poetry 
is  also  read  by  them.  Milton  is  much  read.  Mr.  Dawson 
says,  "  Shakspeare  is  known  by  heart  almost ;  I  could  pro- 
duce men  who  could  be  cross  examined  upon  any  play." 

The  contrast  between  the  manufacturing  and  the  farming 
districts,  in  respect  to  the  intelligence  of  the  people  and  their 
desire  for  improvement,  is  very  great.  Speaking  of  one  of  the 
agricultural  districts,  Mr.  Dawson  says,  "  I  have  heard  of  a 
parish  in  Norfolk,  where  a  woman  was  the  parish  clerk, 
because  there  was  not  a  man  in  the  parish  who  could  read  or 
write." 

The  Rev.  William  Robert  Freernantle,  the  next  witness, 
has  turned  his  attention  to  the  institution  of  libraries  for  the 


25 

instruction  of  the  rural  population.  He  says  that  people  are 
very  little  acquainted  with  the  extraordinary  ignorance  of 
the  poor  in  rural  districts.  Many  books  selected  for  them 
lie  on  their  tables  unread.  "  Shakspeare  would  be  lost  upon 
them."  Alluding  to  the  opposition  manifested  by  the  farmers 
to  the  spread  of  education  and  knowledge  among  the  laborers 
in  these  districts,  he  says,  — 

"  I  should  be  sorry  to  say  any  thing  unfavorable  to  farmers ;  I 
have  a  great  respect  for  them,  but  I  am  afraid  if  they  do  not  read 
themselves,  they  do  not  like  to  see  the  laboring  class  becom- 
ing really  and  truly  wiser  than  themselves  ;  if  the  farmers  do  not 
move  forward,  the  laboring  classes  will  be  the  wiser  of  the  two. 
I  have  many  young  men  in  my  parish  better  instructed  than  the 
farmers,  and  who  could  give  a  better  answer  to  a  question  than 
many  of  the  farmers  themselves."  —  p.  91. 

Henry  Stevens,  Esq.,  formerly  librarian  of  one  of  the  librar 
ries  connected  with  Yale  College,  and  familiar  with  the  con- 
dition of  the  principal  libraries  in  this  country,  was  called 
upon  to  give  an  account  of  the  present  state  of  these  institu- 
tions in  the  United  States.  There  are  but  few  of  our  coun- 
trymen who  would  have  been  able  to  give  so  full  and  correct 
answers  to  the  questions  proposed  by  the  committee  as  Mr. 
Stevens.  The  subject  is  one  to  which  he  has  devoted  much 
time  and  attention,  and  it  was  fortunate  for  the  committee  that 
he  was  in  London  at  the  time  when  they  were  pursuing  their 
investigations.  As  Mr.  Stevens's  evidence  has  been  exten- 
sively republished  in  various  ways  in  this  country,  and  is 
familiar  to  many  of  our  readers,  it  is  not  necessary  to  copy 
any  portion  of  it  here.  We  cannot,  however,  forbear  to  avail 
ourselves  of  this  occasion  to  allude  to  the  important  work  on 
which  Mr.  Stevens  is  now  engaged,  and  to  accomplish  which, 
in  the  most  thorough  manner,  he  has  taken  up  a  temporary 
residence  in  London,  that  he  may  make  use  of  the  rich  bibli- 
ographical treasures  in  the  British  Museum.  "  The  Biblio- 
graphia  Americana  "  will  contain  a  bibliographical  account  of 
the  sources  of  American  History,  comprising  a  description  of 
books  relating  to  America  prior  to  the  year  1700,  and  of  all 
books  printed  in  America  from  1543  to  1700,  together  with 
notices  of  many  of  the  more  important  unpublished  manu- 
scripts. When  the  work  is  ready  for  the  press,  it  will  be 
published  by  the  Smithsonian  Institution  in  two  quarto  vol- 
3 


26 

umes.     Its  importance  to  the  future  historian  will  be  ines- 
timable. 

The  committee  very  justly  place  much  value  on  the  opin- 
ions and  suggestions  of  M.  Libri.  The  thorough  knowledge 
which  this  eminent  bibliographer  possesses  of  all  matters  per- 
taining to  the  condition  and  wants  of  public  libraries,  as  well 
as  of  the  needs  of  literary  men,  renders  his  remarks  worthy 
of  careful  consideration. 

"  As  I  have  already  stated  in  my  evidence,  in  my  opinion,  and 
as  all  educated  men  agree,  it  is  necessary  that  in  a  great  country 
there  should  be  at  least  one  library,  in  which  one  may  expect  to 
find,  as  far  as  it  is  possible,  all  books  which  learned  men,  men 
who  occupy  themselves  upon  any  subject  whatever,  and  who  cul- 
tivate one  of  the  branches  of  human  knowledge,  may  require  to 
consult.  Of  these,  there  is  nothing  useless,  nothing  ought  to  be 
neglected ;  the  most  insignificant  in  appearance,  those  which  on 
their  publication  have  attracted  the  least  attention,  sometimes 
become  the  source  of  valuable  and  unexpected  information.  It 
is  in  the  fragments,  now  so  rare  and  precious,  of  some  alphabets, 
of  some  small  grammars  published  for  the  use  of  schools  about 
the  middle  of  the  15th  century,  or  in  the  letters  distributed  in  Ger- 
many by  the  religious  bodies  commissioned  to  collect  alms,  that 
bibliographers  now  seek  to  discover  the  first  processes  employed 
by  the  inventors  of  xylography  and  typography.  It  is  in  a  for- 

fDtten  collection  of  indifferent  plates,  published  at  Venice  by 
austo  Verantio,  towards  the  end  of  the  16th  century,  that  an 
engineer  who  interests  himself  in  the  history  of  the  mechanical 
arts,  might  find  the  first  diagram  of  iron  suspension  bridges." 

"  Nothing  should  be  neglected  ;  nothing  is  useless  to  whoever 
wishes  thoroughly  to  study  a  subject.  An  astronomer,  who  desires 
to  study  the  motions  peculiar  to  certain  stars,  requires  to  consult 
all  the  old  books  of  astronomy,  and  even  of  astrology,  which 
appear  the  most  replete  with  error.  A  chemist,  a  man  who  is 
engaged  in  the  industrial  arts,  may  still  consult  with  profit  certain 
works  on  alchemy,  and  even  on  magic.  A  legislator,  a  juris- 
consult, needs  sometimes  to  be  acquainted  with  the  laws,  the  ordi- 
nances, which  derive  their  origin  from  the  most  barbarous  ages. 
But  it  is  particularly  for  the  biographer,  for  the  historian,  that  it 
is  necessary  to  prepare  the  largest  field  of  inquiry,  to  amass  the 
greatest  quantity  of  materials.  This  is  not  only  true  as  regards 
past  times,  but  we  ought  to  prepare  the  materials  for  future  stu- 
dents. Historical  facts  which  appear  the  least  important,  the 
most  insignificant  anecdotes,  registered  in  a  pamphlet,  mentioned 
in  a  placard  or  in  a  song,  may  be  connected  at  a  later  period,  in 


27 

an  unforeseen  manner,  with  events  which  acquire  great  impor- 
tance, or  with  men  who  are  distinguished  in  history  by  their 
genius,  by  their  sudden  elevation,  or  even  by  their  crimes.  We 
are  not  born  celebrated.  Men  become  so ;  and  when  we  desire 
to  trace  the  history  of  those  who  have  attained  it,  the  inquirer  is 
often  obliged  to  pursue  his  researches  in  their  most  humble  begin- 
nings. Who  would  have  imagined  that  the  obscure  author  of  a 
small  pamphlet,  "  Le  Souper  de  Beaucaire,"  would  subsequently 
become  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  and  that  to  write  fully  the  life  of 
the  execrable  Marat,  one  ought  to  have  the  very  insignificant 
essays  on  physics  that  he  published  before  the  Revolution  ? 
Nothing  is  too  unimportant  for  whoever  wishes  thoroughly  to 
study  the  literary  or  scientific  history  of  a  country,  or  for  one 
who  undertakes  to  trace  the  intellectual  progress  of  eminent 
minds,  or  to  inform  himself  in  detail  of  the  changes  which  have 
taken  place  in  the  institutions  and  in  the  manners  of  a  nation. 
Without  speaking  of  the  commentaries  or  considerable  additions 
which  have  been  introduced  in  the  various  reprints  of  an  author, 
the  successive  editions  of  the  same  work  which  appear  to  resem- 
ble each  other  the  most  are  often  distinguished  from  each  other 
by  peculiarities  worthy  of  much  attention."  —  p.  119. 

With  a  brief  extract  from  the  evidence  of  one  other  wit- 
ness, we  must  close  our  notice  of  the  Report  on  Public  Libra- 
ries. Charles  Meyer,  Esq.,  German  Secretary  to  His  Royal 
Highness  Prince  Albert,  had  given  attention  to  the  public 
libraries  of  Germany,  having  resided  several  years  in  Gotha, 
in  Hamburgh,  in  Leipsic,  and  in  Munich.  He  had  perused 
the  principal  part  of  the  evidence  which  had  been  given  by 
Mr.  Edwards  upon  this  subject,  and  found  all  that  he  stated 
to  be  quite  correct.  Dr.  Meyer  thinks  the  existence  of  the 
numerous  and  valuable  libraries  of  Germany  has  given  the 
literary  men  of  that  country  an  advantage  over  the  literary 
men  of  England. 

"  It  has  saved  a  great  number  of  our  German  learned  men  from 
the  danger  of  becoming  autodidactoi,  self-taught.  I  think  that  is 
one  essential  point  of  difference  that  is  visible  in  comparing  the 
general  character  of  the  instruction  in  this  country  with  that  on 
the  continent ;  there  are  in  this  country  a  great  number  of  self- 
taught  people,  who  think  according  to  their  own  views,  without 
any  reference  to  previous  scientific  works.  They  make,  some- 
times, very  great  discoveries,  but  sometimes  they  find  that  they 
have  wasted  their  labor  upon  subjects  already  known,  which  have 
been  written  upon  by  a  great  number  of  people  before  them  ;  but 


28 

as  they  have  no  access  to  libraries,  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  get 
acquainted  with  the  literature  of  that  branch  upon  which  they 
treat."  — p.  139. 

We  come  now  to  the  Report  of  the  Commissioners  ap- 
pointed to  investigate  the  affairs  of  the  British  Museum. 
There  is  probably  no  other  public  institution  in  Great  Britain 
which  is  regarded  with  so  great  and  general  interest  as  this. 
By  the  variety  of  its  departments,  this  great  national  deposi- 
tory of  literature  and  objects  of  natural  history  and  antiquity 
meets,  in  some  way,  the  particular  taste  of  almost  every  class 
of  citizens.  The  department  of  Natural  History,  in  its  three 
divisions  of  Zoology,  Botany,  and  Mineralogy,  contains  a 
collection  of  objects  unsurpassed,  probably  unequalled,  in  the 
world.  The  department  of  antiquities  is,  in  some  particulars, 
unrivalled  for  the  number  and  value  of  the  articles  it  contains. 
But  the  library  is  the  crowning  glory  of  the  whole.  If,  in 
respect  to  the  number  of  volumes  it  contains,  it  does  not  equal 
the  National  Library  at  Paris,  the  Royal  Library  at  Munich, 
or  the  Imperial  Library  at  Petersburg,  —  in  almost  every 
other  respect,  such  as  the  value  and  usefulness  of  the  books, 
the  arrangements  for  their  convenient  and  safe  keeping,  the 
facilities  afforded  by  the  officers  to  persons  wishing  to  consult 
the  books,  and,  in  fact,  in  every  matter  pertaining  to  its 
internal  arrangements,  —  the  library  of  the  British  Museum,  by 
the  concurrent  testimony  of  competent  witnesses  from  various 
countries,  must  take  rank  above  all  similar  institutions  in  the 
world.  Well  may  the  people  of  that  nation  regard  the  Mu- 
seum with  pride  and  pleasure.  The  liberal  grants  of  Parlia- 
ment and  the  munificent  bequests  of  individuals  are  sure  indi- 
cations of  a  strong  desire  and  purpose  to  continue  and  extend 
its  advantages. 

Some  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  Museum,  and  of  its  vast 
resources,  may  be  formed  by  considering  that  the  buildings 
alone,  in  which  this  great  collection  is  deposited,  have  cost, 
since  the  year  1823,  nearly  £700,000 ;  and  the  whole  expend- 
iture for  purchases,  exclusive  of  the  cost  of  the  buildings  named 
above,  is  considerably  more  than  £1,100,000.  Besides  this 
liberal  outlay  by  the  British  government,  there  have  been  nu- 
merous magnificent  bequests  from  individuals.  The  acquisi- 
tions from  private  munificence  were  estimated,  for  the  twelve 
years  preceding  the  year  1835,  at  not  less  than  £400,000. 


29 

The  latest  considerable  bequest  was  that  of  the  Rt.  Hon. 
Thomas  Grenville ;  his  library,  which  he  gave  to  the  Museum 
entire,  was  valued  at  over  £50,000.  The  annual  receipts  of 
the  institution,  of  late  years,  from  parliamentary  grants  and  the 
interest  of  private  bequests,  have  been  about  £50,000.  The 
number  of  visitors  to  the  Museum  is  immense.  In  the  year 
1848,  they  amounted  to  897,985,  being  an  average  of  about 
three  thousand  visitors  per  day  for  every  day  when  the  Museum 
is  open.  On  special  occasions,  there  have  been  as  many  as 
thirty  thousand  visitors  on  a  single  day. 

But  great  as  are  the  advantages  which  the  Museum  has 
freely  offered  to  all  who  have  had  occasion  to  resort  to  it,  and 
faithfully  as  its  managers  have  striven  to  meet  every  want  of 
the  various  classes  who  are  interested  in  any  of  the  different 
departments,  the  Museum  and  its  managers  have  not  escaped 
severe  censure.  Those  of  our  readers  who  are  in  the  habit  of 
looking  over  the  English  newspapers  and  magazines  must 
have  been  for  some  time  aware  of  this  fact.  The  complaints 
have  principally  been  of  a  vague  and  general  character; 
though  occasionally  they  have  assumed  a  definite  form. 
These  increasing,  though,  as  it  has  proved,  generally  un- 
founded, complaints  at  length  demanded  and  received  the 
attention  of  Parliament. 

In  June,  1847,  commissioners  were  appointed  to  inquire 
into,  and  report  upon,  the  constitution  and  government  of  the 
British  Museum.  In  May,  1848,  their  number  was  increased. 
They  were  invested  with  full  powers  to  send  for  persons  and 
papers,  and  to  administer  oaths  to  the  witnesses.  The  Earl 
of  Ellesmere  was  chairman ;  and  among  his  associates  we 
find  the  names  of  Lord  Seymour,  the  Bishop  of  Norwich, 
Joseph  Hume,  Richard  Monckton  Milnes,  and  Samuel  Rogers. 
The  character  of  the  commissioners  was  such  as  to  inspire  very 
general  confidence  in  the  fidelity  with  which  they  would  exer- 
cise their  functions,  and  the  wisdom  with  which  they  would 
come  to  their  conclusions.  Their  report,  with  the  minutes  of 
evidence,  makes  a  gigantic  document  of  nearly  nine  hundred 
closely  printed  folio  pages.  We  must  express  our  disappoint- 
ment and  sorrow,  that  so  much  of  the  report  and  evidence 
relate  to  difficulties  and  misunderstandings  between  the  trust- 
ees and  the  officers  of  the  Museum.  We  regret  still  more, 
that  the  commissioners  found  it  necessary,  in  the  discharge  of 
3* 


30 

the  duty  assigned  them,  to  publish  so  much  concerning  the 
internal  dissensions,  the  jealousies,  and  ill  feeling,  which  pre- 
vail among  the  heads  of  the  departments  and  officers  them- 
selves. From  their  vocation  and  relative  position,  we  should 
expect  no  other  than  the  expression  of  the  kindest  sentiments, 
and  the  cultivation  of  the  most  genial  feelings.  We  would 
not  dwell  on  these  ungrateful  and  delicate  topics,  though  we 
do  not  feel  justified  in  passing  them  over  in  entire  silence. 

The  government  of  the  Museum  is  vested  in  a  Board  of 
Trustees,  48  in  number,  of  whom  one  is  named  directly  by 
the  Crown,  23  are  official,  9  are  named  by  the  representatives 
or  executors  of  parties  who  have  been  donors  to  the  institu- 
tion, and  15  are  elected.  The  Royal  Trustee  is  H.  R.  H. 
the  Duke  of  Cambridge.  Among  the  official  trustees  are  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  the  Lord  Chancellor,  the  Speaker 
of  the  House  of  Commons,  the  Lord  Chief  Justice,  the  Pre- 
sidents of  some  of  the  principal  scientific  and  literary  asso- 
ciations, and  other  high  dignitaries  of  the  nation.  Among 
the  elected  trustees  are  Sir  Robert  Peel,  Henry  Hallam,  and 
T.  B.  Macaulay. 

"  Such  a  Board  of  Trustees,  to  any  one  who  considers  the  in- 
dividuals who  compose  it,  with  reference  to  their  rank,  intelli- 
gence, and  ability,  would  give  assurance  rather  than  promise  of 
the  most  unexceptionable,  and,  indeed,  wisest  administration  in 
every  department.  High  attainments  in  literature  and  in  science, 
great  knowledge  and  experience  of  the  world  and  its  affairs,  and 
practised  habits  of  business,  distinguish  many  of  them  in  an  em- 
inent degree  ;  and  it  would  be  unjust  either  to  deny  the  interest 
which  all  of  them  feel  in  the  prosperity  of  the  institution,  or 
refrain  from  acknowledging  the  devoted  services  which  some  of 
them  have  rendered  in  its  administration.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  absorbing  public  cares,  professional  avocations,  and  the 
pursuits  of  private  life,  must,  in  many  instances,  prevent  those 
individuals  whose  assistance  might  have  been  relied  on  from  giv- 
ing any  thing  like  continued  attention  to  the  affairs  of  the  Institu- 
tion ;  and,  what  is  perhaps  of  more  importance,  the  large  number 
of  the  Board,  by  dividing,  or  rather  extinguishing,  individual 
duty  or  responsibility,  has,  in  a  great  measure,  interfered  with  the 
superintendence  and  control  which  might  have  been  usefully 
exercised  by  any  smaller  selected  number  specially  charged  with 
the  duty."  —  p.  3. 

There  appears  to  be  no  opportunity  afforded,  by  means  of 


31 

personal  intercourse  between  the  officers  of  the  different  de- 
partments and  the  Trustees,  for  consultation  and  advice 
relative  to  the  management  of  the  various  and  complicated 
affairs  of  the  Museum.  The  Trustees,  or  such  a  number  of 
them  as  find  it  convenient,  meet  once  a  month.  No  notice 
is  given  to  them  beforehand  of  the  business  to  be  brought 
before  them,  and  all  communications  are  by  the  means  of 
written  reports. 

"  We  are  compelled  to  add,  that  the  mode  in  which  the  busi- 
ness is  brought  before  the  Trustees  seems  in  itself  as  objectionable 
as  the  want  of  notice.  It  is  done  almpst  invariably  by  means  of 
written  reports.  Not  to  mention  the  reports  of  the  assistants  and 
subordinate  officers,  the  heads  of  departments  communicate  with 
the  Board  by  written  reports.  These  reports  are  transmitted  to 
the  Trustees  by  the  principal  librarian,  who  accompanies  them 
with  another  report,  in  which  he  states  such  observations  as  occur 
to  him.  Neither  the  principal  librarian  nor  the  heads  of  depart- 
ments are,  except  in  extraordinary  cases,  admitted  to  the  board- 
room when  the  business  of  their  department  is  under  consideration. 
The  reports  themselves,  from  the  great  increase  of  the  establish- 
ment, have  become  so  voluminous,  that  they  cannot  be  read  en- 
tirely at  the  meeting  of  Trustees."  —  p.  6.  .  J&v 

The  Commissioners  further  say,  — 

"  We  find,  however,  there  is  scarcely  one  of  the  highest 
officers  of  the  institution  who  has  not  complained  of  systematic 
exclusion  from  the  Board  when  the  affairs  of  his  department  are 
under  consideration,  as  equally  disparaging  to  himself  and  inju- 
rious to  the  interests  of  the  department,  giving  no  opportunity  of 
explaining  their  reports,  or  meeting  the  objections  and  criticisms 
to  which  they  may  have  been  subject ;  and  their  own  absence, 
joined  to  that  of  the  principal  librarian,  leaves  them  under  the 
painful  but  natural  impression,  where  their  suggestions  are  disal- 
lowedvthat  the  interests  with  which  they  are  charged  have  not 
been  fully  represented.  We  cannot  but  ascribe  to  this  cause  the 
unfortunate  and  unseemly  jealousies  which  the  evidence  shows 
to  have  long  existed  among  the  principal  officers  of  the  Museum 

—  their  distrust  in  the  security  of  the  means  by  which  they 
communicate  with  the  Board  —  their  misgivings  as  to  the  fulness 
and  fairness  of  the  consideration  which  their  suggestions  receive 

—  and  their  feelings  of  injustice  done  to  their  own  department, 
arising,  it  may  be,  from  an  over  zeal  for  its  interests,  or  over 
estimate  of  its  importance."  —  p.  7. 

Whilst  looking  over  the  Report  and  minutes  of  evidence, 


32 

we  have  had  frequently  forced  upon  our  attention  the  unpleas- 
ant fact  of  "  the  want  of  harmony  and  good  understanding 
between  the  heads  of  different  departments."  We  are  sorry 
to  see  that  these  internal  dissensions  are  so  great,  and  have 
been  of  so  long  standing.  It  is  well  known  that  much  dis- 
satisfaction was  manifested  in  certain  quarters  when  Mr. 
Panizzi  was,  several  years  since,  appointed  Librarian,  or 
Keeper  of  the  Printed  Books.  The  chief  reasons  given  for  dis- 
satisfaction at  his  appointment,  and  for  his  commission  bear- 
ing an  earlier  date  than  ^hat  of  Sir  Frederic  Madden,  were  : 
First,  that  Mr.  Panizzi  was  a  foreigner ;  and  secondly, 
that  he  had  not  been  so  long  a  time  in  the  Museum  ; 
either  of  which  facts  it  was  considered  ought  to  prevent  his 
having  precedence  over  Sir  Frederic  Madden.  We  have  no 
desire  or  occasion  to  pass  judgment  on  the  propriety  or  jus- 
tice of  the  original  appointment,  but  we  feel  bound  to  say,  in 
view  of  all  the  facts  which  have  been  elicited  by  the  inves- 
tigations of  the  Commissioners,  that  it  would  be  a  difficult 
matter  to  find  in  any  country  another  man  so  pree'minently 
fitted  to  take  charge  of  such  a  department,  as  Antonio  Pa- 
nizzt.  Through  his  agency,  in  a  great  degree,  the  recent 
large  and  valuable  additions  to  its  numbers  have  been  made, 
and  a  system  of  management  been  devised  and  adopted,' 
which  gives  this  collection  the  character  of  the  MODEL  LI- 
BRARY for  the  world.  And  here  we  cannot  do  better  than  to 
borrow  the  remarks  of  Professor  Jewett,  alluded  to  in  the 
Report  of  the  Commissioners,  and  published  in  full  with  the 
minutes  of  evidence.  Few  persons  are  so  well  entitled  to 
express  an  opinion  on  such  a  subject.  Writing  to  a  friend  in 
London,  who  had  desired  to  know  his  views,  he  says,  — 

"  I  have  heard  with  regret,  not  unmingled  with  indignation,  of 
the  complaints  which  have  been  made  against  Mr.  Panizzi's  man- 
agement of  the  Library  of  the  British  Museum.  You  ask  my  opin- 
ion in  extenso  on  the  subject.  This  I  am  most  ready  to  give.  You 
know  that,  after  having  been  employed  for  several  years  as  a 
Librarian,  and  having  thus  become  familiar  with  all  the  details  of 
a  Librarian's  duties,  I  spent  two  years  on  the  continent  of  Europe, 
visiting  the  principal  libraries,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  such 
information  as  would  enable  us  in  America  to  establish  our  libra- 
ries on  the  best  possible  foundation.  With  this  preparation  I  went 
to  England.  You  know  how  much  time  I  spent  at  the  British 


33 

Museum,  and  how  kindly  and  courteously  we  were  both  received 
by  all  the  gentlemen  connected  with  the  establishment.  The 
opinion  which  I  then  formed,  and  which  I  believe  I  expressed  to 
Mr.  Panizzi,  I  still  hold  —  that  any  person  who  wishes  to  become 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  whole  subject  of  Bibliothekswis- 
senschaft  (to  use  a  German  term  for  which  we  have  no  English 
equivalent,)  with  the  science  of  libraries,  —  need  go  no  farther 
than  the  British  Museum.  In  my  opinion,  it  is  by  far  the  best 
regulated  library  in  the  world.  The  books  are  more  faithfully 
guarded,  and  the  public  are  more  promptly  served,  than  in  any 
other  library  with  which  I  am  acquainted.  No  doubt  the  whole^ 
affair  would  have  been  in  much  better  shape  had  Mr.  Panizzf. 
had  the  management  of  it  from  the  outset."  —  p.  265. 

We  shall  not  attempt  to  grapple  with  that  complicated  and 
vexatious  subject  which  has  occasioned  so  much  controversy 
in  England,  and  to  which  the  commissioners  were  obliged  to 
devote  so  much  attention,  — the  Museum  Catalogue.  A  sepa- 
rate and  entire  article  would  hardly  be  sufficient  to  consider 
the  matter  in  its  various  aspects  and  bearings,  and  to  present 
the  different  theories  which  have  been  started,  and  the  nume- 
rous objections  which  have  been  brought  against  them  all. 
We  entertain  some  pretty  decided  opinions  on  the  general 
subject  of  library  catalogues,  which  we  may  possibly  offer  to 
our  readers  at  a  future  time. 

At  this  time,  however,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  mention,  that 
the  plan  proposed  by  Mr.  Cooley  to  the  commissioners  of  the 
Museum,  and  received  with  so  much  favor  by  them,  namely,  to 
stereotype  the  titles  of  the  books  separately,  originated,  several 
years  since,  with  an  eminent  bibliographer  in  this  country, 
Professor  Jewett,  then  of  Brown  University,  and  now  one  of 
the  officers  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  Professor  Jewett 
has  devoted  much  time  and  thought  to  maturing  and  perfecting 
his  plan.  He  has  mentioned  it  freely  to  those  persons  who 
are  most  interested  in  such  matters  in  this  country,  and  has 
communicated  his  views  to  some  of  his  friends  in  Europe. 
The  plan  has  been  received  with  approbation  by  the  man- 
agers of  some  of  our  larger  libraries,  and  arrangements  have 
been  made  for  carrying  it  into  speedy  effect.  We  are  glad 
that  it  finds  favor  also  in  England ;  though  we  notice  that 
Mr.  Cooley  embarrasses  it  with  impracticable  adjuncts,  which 
will  be  likely  to  defeat  his  object.  An  important  improve- 
ment of  the  plan  was  suggested,  and  specimens  were  shown, 


34 

at  a  recent  meeting  of  the  American  Antiquarian  Society,  by 
the  Rev.  E.  E.  Hale,  of  Worcester ;  namely,  substitu  ting  elec- 
trotype for  common  stereotype  plates.  We  presume  that  the 
public  will  soon  be  in  possession  of  the  details  cY  Professor 
Jewett's  plan,  which  has  been  known  to  individuals  for  several 
years.  We  hope  that  when  this  is  the  case,  the  author  will 
not  be  accused  of  borrowing  it  without  credit  from  an  English 
source. 

It  is  a  lamentable  fact  that  the  matchless  collection  of 
J)ooks  contained  in  the  British  Museum  has  no  catalogue. 
The  means  of  using  the  rich  literary  treasures,  which  have 
been  obtained  and  preserved  with  so  much  care  and  cost, 
have  not  yet  been  provided.  No  one  can  tell  the  exact  char- 
acter of  the  contents  of  the  library,  and,  of  course,  it  does  not 
at  present  answer  the  highest  purpose  for  which  it  was  de- 
signed. A  great  library  without  a  catalogue  has  been  well 
described  by  Carlyle,  as  a  chaos  and  not  a  cosmos.  Some 
thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  a  catalogue  in  eight  octavo  volumes 
was  printed,  giving  the  titles  of  books  then  in  the  library.  It 
was  an  unpretending  though  very  useful  publication,  not  free 
from  errors,  but  sufficiently  accurate  for  the  common  purposes 
of  consultation.  Since  that  time,  the  contents  of  the  Museum 
library  have  been  quadrupled  in  number,  and  incalculably  in- 
creased in  value.  Yet  the  only  portion  of  a  general  cata- 
logue which  has  been  printed,  since  the  one  named  above,  is 
a  single  folio  volume  embracing  only  the  titles  which  fall  under 
the  letter  A;  and  the  further  publication  of  the  work  has 
been  indefinitely  postponed.  The  reading-room  of  the  insti- 
tution, it  is  true,  contains  something  intended  to  answer  the 
purposes  of  a  catalogue,  to  be  used  only  on  the  spot.  It  is 
partly  in  manuscript  and  partly  in  print,  and  fills,  in  its  pre- 
sent very  incomplete  state,  70  or  80  folio  volumes.  The  want 
of  a  printed  catalogue  has  been  the  cause  of  much  controversy 
and  complaint. 

This  is  a  subject  presenting  more  numerous  and  much 
greater  difficulties,  than  persons  who  have  not  made  it  a  mat- 
ter of  careful  study,  are  aware  of.  Even  the  bibliographical 
giant  at  the  Museum,  who  has  for  a  long  time  past  had  the 
matter  in  special  charge,  has  not  been  able  satisfactorily  to 
master  it.  Many  years  of  thoughtful  attention  and  laborious 
industry  have  been  insufficient  to  produce  the  desired  catalogue. 


35 

There  has  been  much  vexatious  interference  concerning  the 
manner  of  making  out  the  manuscript,  from  persons  claiming 
superior  wisdom  and  authority.  This  h?.s  only  tended  to  in- 
terrupt and  delay  the  completion  of  the  work.  The  multitude 
of  literary  men  in  England  have  become  impatient  and  clam- 
orous for  its  appearance  in  print,  though  they  have  no  proper 
appreciation  of  the  obstacles  in  the  way  of  its  speedy  publica- 
tion. 

There  are  two  parties  on  the  catalogue  question.  Mr. 
Panizzn  and  his  friends  maintain,  that  the  great  and  im- 
portant thing  to  which  all  their  efforts  should  tend,  is  the 
preparation  of  a  manuscript  catalogue  with  the  title  entered 
in  full,  and  with  numerous  cross  references.  This  would  un- 
doubtedly be  of  great  service  to  all  who  could  consult  it  at 
the  Museum.  It  would  certainly  be  a  great  bibliographical 
curiosity  ;  filling  a  very  large  number  of  volumes  (500  in  folio, 
it  is  estimated,)  and  needing  the  work  of  many  years.  This 
manuscript  catalogue,  intended  to  be  superior  in  its  plan  and 
execution  to  any  ever  before  produced,  hag  been  said,  appa- 
rently with  much  truth,  to  be  Mr.  Panizzrs  favorite  hobby. 
His  views  are  ably  advocated  by  Professor  De  Morgan,  John 
Wilson  Croker,  Mr.  Hallam,  and  other  distinguished  literary 
gentlemen.  It  is  maintained  by  them,  that,  as  the  library  is  not 
a  lending  one,  but  the  books  must  be  consulted  at  the  Museum, 
this  description  of  catalogue  will  be  better  than  a  briefer 
printed  one.  The  objections  to  the  printing  of  the  catalogue 
of  such  a  constantly  increasing  library  arise  from  the  fact,  that 
it  must  necessarily  be  incomplete,  although  it  would  extend 
in  print  to  at  least  forty  folio  volumes,  and  cost  fifty  thousand 
pounds.  To  abridge  the  titles  would,  it  is  said,  be  likely  to 
occasion  and  perpetuate  numerous  errors.  In  answer  to  the 
question,  — 

"  Do  you  think  it  would  have  been  possible  by  any  other  plan 
than  that  which  is  now  in  progress,  to  have  consulted  the  impa- 
tience of  the  public  for  a  complete  catalogue ;  could  you  have 
sacrificed,  in  some  degree,  uniformity  and  fulness  without  material 
disadvantage  ?  " 

Mr.  Panizzt  says, — 

"  No,  it  could  not  have  been  done.  The  complaints  against 
the  present  catalogue  [i.  e.  the  printed  one  in  eight  volumes]  are, 
in  fact,  that  the  titles  are  not  full  and  accurate,  and  if  those  who 


36 

compiled  them,  Sir  Henry  Ellis  and  my  predecessor,  had  not 
been  hurried,  I  have  no  doubt  that  they  would  have  made  a  much 
better  catalogue.  They  made  as  good  a  catalogue  as  they  could 
make,  under  the  pressure  of  the  trustees  wishing  for  a  "  compen- 
dious "  catalogue  immediately.  If  we  now  publish  another  cata- 
logue in  a  hurry,  we  never  shall  have  a  good  one.  We  shall 
jfublishone  in  a  hurry,  and  then  again,  when  that  is  completed,  we 
must  publish  another  still  in  a  hurry.  What  we  really  want  now 
is  a  catalogue  on  a  lasting  basis  carefully  compiled,  serving  as  a 
pattern  for  titles  to  be  added  ever  after  —  a  catalogue  that  shall  be 
creditable  to  such  an  institution  as  this,  and  such  as  the  public 
have  a  right  to  expect,  and  not  any  more  make-shifts  as  we  have 
had  hitherto.  If  we  are  to  have  short  titles,  we  not  only  have  to 
do  what  has  been  done  hitherto,  but  we  have  actually  to  spoil  the 
good  titles  which  we  have." — p.  235. 

The  other  party,  at  the  head  of  which  we  should  place  Sir 
Robert  Inglis,  a  trustee  of  the  Museum  who  has  devoted  much 
time  and  thought  to  the  subject,  insists  on  the  practicability  and 
expediency  of  printing  without  delay  a  correct  compendious 
catalogue,  giving  in  brief  the  title  of  every  work  in  the  col- 
lection. Lord  MJhon,  Bolton  Corney,  and  Thomas  Carlyle 
are  among  the  numerous  and  able  supporters  of  this  view. 
The  Rev.  Josiah  Forshall,  who  has  been  for  many  years 
Secretary  to  the  Trustees  of  the  Museum,  says,  — 

"  I  take  the  liberty  of  stating  my  own  unvarying,  but  more  and 
more  confirmed,  and  now  perfectly  established  conviction,  that  if 
the  public  are  to  have  a  proper  use  of  the  Museum  Library,  there 
must  be  a  printed  catalogue  of  its  contents  ;  and  I  speak  confi- 
dently, not  merely  because  my  convictions  are  thus  complete,  but 
because,  in  the  course  of  my  experience,  I  have  met  with  very 
few  persons  indeed,  of  an  average  amount  of  common  sense,  and 
well  acquainted  with  the  subject,  who  were  not  substantially  of 
the  same  mind ;  and  I  am  pretty  sure  that  if  the  Commissioners 
were  to  examine  not  merely  the  officers  of  this  House,  but  the 
chief  librarians  of  all  the  public  libraries  in  this  country,  such  as 
those  of  the  Universities,  of  Sion  College,  the  London  Institution, 
and  Red  Cross  Street,  they  would  find  a  very  general  concurrence 
of  opinion  upon  that  point ;  and  it  is  my  firm  belief  that  there  is 
no  money  that  could  be  expended  by  government  so  profitably 
with  a  view  to  the  improvement  of  the  people,  as*  that  which  may 
be  necessary  for  the  publication  of  a  good  printed  catalogue  of 
the  library  of  the  Museum  —  I  say  a  good  catalogue.  Any  printed 
catalogue  is  far  better  than  none.  A  catalogue  with  one  tenth 
part  of  the  merit  of  the  old  octavo  catalogue  is  vastly  better  than 


37 

none.  But  the  catalogue  printed  by  the  Trustees  of  the  British 
Museum,  the  national  catalogue  of  this  national  library,  ought  to 
be  a  good  catalogue,  one  of  the  best  of  its  kind  ;  and  I  venture, 
from  an  experience  of  27  or  28  years,  to  assert  that  there  is  no 
real  difficulty  in  producing  it."  —  p.  356. 

The  commissioners  in  their  report  declare  themselves  un- 
equivocally and  strongly  against  printing,  for  the  present  at 
least,  any  catalogue.  Their  decision  is  not  likely  to  be 
quietly  acquiesced  in  by  the  literary  men  of  Great  Britain. 
It  has  created  much  dissatisfaction.  Already  there  have  been 
some  fierce  attacks  upon  the  report.  We  shall  not  enter  into 
the  controversy ;  but,  having  stated  the  principal  points  at 
issue,  leave  it  to  be  settled  by  the  parties  most  nearly  con- 
cerned, though  the  result  will  be  regarded  with  deep  interest 
by  the  whole  literary  world. 

The  other  matters  which  claimed  the  attention  of  the  com- 
missioners were  of  minor  importance  and  of  less  general  inte- 
rest ;  and  as  they  have  no  direct  bearing  upon  the  particular 
subject  which  we  have  been  considering,  we  pass  them  over 
without  further  remark.  We  cannot,  however,  close  our 
notice  of  the  Report  without  expressing  our  high  gratification 
tha.t,  notwithstanding  the  difficulties  and  complaints  to  which 
we  have  alluded,  this  noble  national  institution  is  in  a  highly 
prosperous  condition,  and  our  hope,  that  it  will  not  be  long 
before  the  United  States  will  successfully  emulate  the  exam- 
ple of  Great  Britain. 

The  two  pamphlets,  whose  titles  are  placed  last  on  our  list, 
may  be  regarded  as  auspicious  signs  full  of  good  promise. 
Our  limits  at  present  will  hardly  allow  us  to  give  even  a 
brief  outline  of  the  prospects  and  plans  of  the  institutions  to 
which  they  relate. 

The  Astor  Library  owes  its  existence  to  the  munificence  of 
John  Jacob  Astor,  who  died  on  the  29th  day  of  March,  1848, 
leaving  by  his  will  the  sum  of  $400,000  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  public  library  in  the  city  of  New  York.  He  named 
twelve  trustees.  The  Mayor  of  the  city  and  the  Chancellor 
of  the  State  for  the  time  being,  in  respect  to  their  offices,  were 
to  be  of  the  Board,  with  Washington  Irving,  Joseph  G.  Cogs- 
well, Fitz-Greene  Halleck,  and  seven  others.  Washington 
Irving  was  appointed  President  of  the  Trustees,  and  Mr.  Cogs- 


38 

well  Superintendent  of  the  Library,  both  by  the  unanimous 
vote  of  the  Board. 

"  On  the  28th  of  October,  1848,  Mr.  Cogswell,  the  superintend- 
ent, was  authorized  to  go  to  Europe  and  purchase,  at  his  discre- 
tion, books  for  the  library  to  the  value  of  twenty  thousand  dollars, 
his  expenses  to  be  defrayed  by  the  institution,  and  the  books  paid 
for  out  of  the  first  moneys  to  be  received  from  the  executors  of 
Mr.  Astor's  will.  The  object  of  the  trustees  in  sending  Mr.  Cogs- 
well abroad  at  that  particular  time  was  to  avail  themselves  of  the 
opportunity  afforded  by  the  distracted  political  condition  of 
Europe  and  the  reduction  of  prices  consequent  upon  it,  to  pur- 
chase books  at  very  low  rates  ;  and  they  deem  it  proper  to  say  in 
this  place,  in  order  to  avoid  the  necessity  of  recurring  to  the  sub- 
ject, that  the  trust  confided  to  him  has  been  executed  to  their  per- 
fect satisfaction,  that  the  purchases  were  made  at  prices  greatly 
below  the  ordinary  standard,  and  they  consider  it  due  to  him  to 
add,  that  his  selections  fully  confirm  the  high  estimate  they  had 
placed  on  his  peculiar  fitness  for  the  services  he  has  performed, 
and  is  performing,  in  the  establishment  of  the  library."  —  p.  5. 

One  of  the  conditions  of  the  bequest  has  caused  the  trus- 
tees much  embarrassment.  The  will  contains  the  following 
emphatic  clause,  namely,  "  I  direct  that  the  sum  to  be  appro- 
priated for  erecting  the  library  building  shall  not  exceed  sev- 
enty-five thousand  dollars."  It  has  been  found  very  difficult 
to  obtain  a  satisfactory  plan  for  an  edifice  which  could  be 
built  for  this  sum,  and  which  would  combine  the  various 
requisites  of  size,  solidity,  and  security  against  fire.  The 
wisdom  of  Mr.  Astor,  in  imposing  this  restriction,  has  been 
doubted  by  some  persons,  though  the  trustees  make  no  com- 
plaint concerning  the  matter.  A  glance  at  Girard  College, 
Gore  Hall,  and  the  Boston  Athenaeum  ought  to  convince  any 
one,  that  the  temptation  to  indulge  a  taste  for  architectural 
display,  even  at  the  expense  and  by  the  sacrifice,  in  a  great 
degree,  of  the  real  wants  and  legitimate  objects  of  such  insti- 
tutions, is  sufficient  to  overcome  the  judgment  of  men  having 
a  high  reputation  for  wisdom  and  for  the  exercise  of  judicious 
economy.  The  trustees  of  the  Astor  Library  have  succeeded 
in  forming  a  contract  for  a  suitable  building  at  the  above 
named  cost.  It  will  be  65  feet  front  and  120  feet  deep,  and 
is  to  be  completed  by  the  first  of  April,  1852. 

The  library  will  not  be  considered  as  formed  until  $  120,000, 
being  the  whole  amount  which  is  authorized  by  Mr.  Astor's 


39 

will  to  be  applied  to  the  purchase  of  books  in  the  outset  of 
the  institution,  has  been  expended.  The  smallest  number  of 
books,  which  the  trustees  consider  it  safe  to  estimate  as  a  basis 
for  enlargement,  is  one  hundred  thousand  volumes.  The 
number  of  books  now  collected  amounts  to  over  20,000 
volumes.  These  are  arranged  on  temporary  shelves  in  a 
house  hired  for  the  purpose;  and  any  persons  desiring  to 
view  or  use  the  books  are  permitted  to  do  so.  No  little  sur- 
prise has  been  expressed  by  visitors  acquainted  with  the  value 
of  such  works,  on  learning  that  the  entire  cost,  thus  far,  has 
been  only  about  $27,000.  We  doubt  whether  so  large  and 
valuable  a  collection  of  books  has  ever  before  been  purchased 
on  so  favorable  terms. 

Particular  attention  appears  to  have  been  paid  to  the  selec- 
tion of  the  best  books  on  bibliography.  It  appears,  in  the 
report  of  the  trustees,  that  the  valuable  bibliographical  works, 
amounting  already  to  about  one  thousand  volumes,  were  pre- 
sented to  the  institution  by  the  librarian.  "  Mr.  Cogswell  has 
thus  become,  in  effect,  the  founder  of  a  department  of  great 
importance  in  connection  with  the  library,  to  be  completed  by 
a  large  additional  contribution  from  his  own  means."  We 
have  before  us  an  unpretending  pamphlet  of  thirty  pages, 
being  a  printed  list  of  these  works,  which  the  compiler  says 
is  designed  merely  to  answer  the  simple  question,  "  Does  such 
a  work  belong  to  the  library  ? "  It  is,  however,  of  itself,  a 
valuable  contribution  to  bibliography,  and  though  printed 
anonymously,  is  evidently  the  work  of  the  learned  librarian. 
If  published,  it  would  be  of  great  use  to  many  persons  who 
cannot  avail  themselves  directly  of  the  advantages  of  the 
library. 

The  Astor  Library  will,  probably,  when  first  formed,  con- 
tain a  larger  number  and  a  better  selection  of  books  than  any 
other  in  the  United  States.  With  the  generous  provision 
which  the  founder  has  made  for  its  increase,  together  with  the 
liberal  donations  which  will  undoubtedly  come  to  this  as  the 
largest  library  in  the  country,  it  is  likely  to  grow  rapidly,  till 
it  shall  take  rank  with  the  large  libraries  of  the  Old  World. 
Under  the  direction  of  an  enlightened  and  judicious  Board  of 
Trustees,  with  Mr.  Irving  for  President,  and  Mr.  Cogswell 
for  Superintendent  of  the  library,  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe,  that  the  desire  so  warmly  expressed  at  the  conclusion 


40 

of  the  report  will  be  fulfilled: — "That  the  Astor  Library 
may  soon  become,  as  a  depository  of  the  treasures  of  litera- 
ture and  science,  what  the  city  possessing  it  is  rapidly  becom- 
ing in  commerce  and  wealth." 

From  local  situation  and  other  causes  which  will  readily 
suggest  themselves  to  the  reader,  the  chief  interest  and  bene- 
fits of  the  Astor  Library  will  be  felt  by  the  particular  State 
and  city  where  it  is  established.  We  hope  that  private 
munificence  or  public  patropage  will  originate  and  support 
elsewhere  many  other  similar  libraries.  Still  something  more 
will  be  necessary.  We  must  have  a  large  national  library, 
to  which  we  can  point  men  of  other  countries  as  the  substan- 
tial evidence  of  interest  in  the  promotion  of  literature  and 
science ;  and  to  which  we  can  direct  such  of  our  own  scholars 
as  are  desirous  of  availing  themselves  of  the  highest  and  fullest 
authorities  in  their  investigations  and  studies.  The  time  has 
come  when  this  subject  demands,  and  is  likely  to  receive, 
speedy  and  efficient  attention. 

The  foundation  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution  affords  one 
of  the  most  favorable  opportunities  that  was  ever  offered  in 
any  country  for  the  establishment  of  such  a  library.  We  are 
sure  that  a  much  wider  and  deeper  interest  on  this  subject 
pervades  the  community,  than  has  been  publicly  expressed. 
We  know  that  many  are  with  confident  expectation  awaiting 
the  proceedings  of  the  Regents  and  Officers  of  that  institution. 
They  to  whom  the  management  of  its  affairs  is  entrusted 
appear  to  be  working  together  vigorously  for  this,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  other  great  objects  of  the  institution.  It  is  a 
design  worthy  of  their  best  wishes  and  best  efforts,  and  they 
will  be  sustained  in  it  by  the  cooperation  and  sympathy  of 
men  of  letters  and  men  of  science  throughout  the  country. 
May  we  not  reasonably  hope,  that  our  national  senators  and 
representatives  will  regard  the  matter  with  special  favor? 
Let  Congress  emulate  the  noble  example  of  the  British  Par- 
liament, by  a  liberal  grant,  and  we  shall  soon  have  an  insti- 
tution that,  in  extent  and  usefulness,  will  rival  the  British 
Museum,  and  be  an  honor  to  the  country. 


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